UC-NRLF 


$B    563    466 


NOV  251913 


ORGANIZATION  and 
ADMINISTRATION  of 
the  CITY  GOVERNMENT 
of  ATLANTA,  GEORGIA 


(EXCLUSIVE   OF   HEALTH   AND 
EDUCATIONAL  DEPARTMENTS) 


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REPORT  OF  A  GENERAL  SURVEY  MADE  FOR 

THE  ATLANTA  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 

COMMITTEE  ON  MUNICIPAL 

RESEARCH 


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By  HERBERT  R.  SANDS 

FOR  THE 

NEW  YORK  BUREAU  OF 
MUNICIPAL   RESEARCH 

NOVEMBER,  1912 

Reprinted  for  the  Training  School  for  public  service,  conducted  by  the  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Research,  261  Broadway,  New  York  City,    Wm.  H,  Allen,  Director 


Organization  and  Administration  of 

the  City  Government  of 

Atlanta,  Ga. 

(Exclusive  of  Health  and  Educational  Departments) 


Report  of  a  General  Survey  Made  for  the  Atlanta  Chamber  of 
Commerce  Committee  on  Municipal  Research 

By  HERBERT  R.  SANDS 
FOR  THE 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 


NOVEMBER,  1912 


Appeal  Pub.  Co.,  Atlanta,  Ga. 


55 


Col.  Frederic  J.  Paxon,  Chairman  Chamber  of  Commerce  Com- 
mittee on  Municipal  Research,  57  Whitehall  Street,  Atlanta, 
Georgia. 

Dear  Sir: 

In  accordance  with  your  instructions,  the  Bureau  of  Municipal 
Research  made  a  general  survey  of  the  city  government  of  At- 
lanta, including  the  organization  and  business  procedure  of  all  the 
city  departments.  During  the  progress  of  our  work  we  found 
much  to  praise  in  the  methods  and  results  obtained  by  each  de- 
partment. A  great  deal  of  very  excellent  work  is  being  done  by 
the  city's  officials,  all  of  whom  were  most  cordial  in  assisting  us 
to  gain  an  insight  into  their  respective  departments.  Our  mis-  "^ 
sion  in  Atlanta  was  to  point  out  the  places  where  the  present 
structure  is  weak  and  where  present  methods  are  defective,  and 
to  suggest  ways  and  means  whereby  such  weaknesses  and  de- 
fects might  be  remedied.  The  report  which  follows  is,  therefore 
limited  to  criticisms  of  organization,  methods  and  conditions  as 
we  found  them,  and  to  constructive  suggestions.  It  relates  to  all 
city  departments  except  health  and  education  which  were  sur- 
veyed and  are  reported  on  by  Mr.  Lindholm. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

NEW  YORK  BUREAU  OF  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH. 

By  Herbert  R.  Sands. 
New  York,  December  14,  1912. 


305323 


ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION    OF    THE    CITY 
GOVERNMENT  OF  ATLANTA,  GEORGIA. 

This  report  is  arranged  under  the  following  heads : 

1.  Summary  of  Criticisms  and  Constructive  Suggestions. 

2.  Construction  Department. 

3.  Park  Department. 

4.  Police  Department. 

5.  Fire  Department. 

6.  Water  Department. 

7.  Sanitary  Department. 

8.  Inspection  of  Buildings. 

9.  Inspection  of  Weights  and  Measures. 

10.  Inspection  of  Licenses. 

11.  Comptroller's  Office. 

12.  Budget  Methods. 

13.  Passing  Ordinances. 

14.  Purchasing  Supplies  and  Materials. 

15.  Payment  of  Claims. 

16.  Bank  Deposits  and  Treasurer's  Balances. 

17.  Bonded  Debt. 

18.  Assessing  and  Collecting  Taxes. 

19.  In  General. 


SUMMARY  OF  CRITICISMS  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE 
SUGGESTIONS. 

This  summary  is  set  forth  under: 

I.  Defective  conditions  easily  corrected  by  slight  improve- 

ments in  administration. 

II.  Defective  conditions  easily  corrected  without  reorganiza- 

tion but  requiring  ordinance  authority. 

III.  Defective  conditions  easily  corrected  but  requiring  reor- 
ganization, for  which  ordinance  authority  is  necessary. 

IV.  Defective  conditions  easily  corrected  but  requiring  reor- 

ganization, for  which  statutory  is  necessary. 

V.     Defective  conditions  easily  corrected  but  requiring  in- 
creased appropriations. 

VI.  Other  conspicuous  opportunities   confronting  Atlanta's 

city  government  (exclusive  of  health  and  education) . 

VII.  Immediate  next  steps  for  Atlanta's  city  government. 

Note:  While  the  grouping  which  follows  is  believed  to  be  cor- 
rect, if  any  part  of  the  summary  is  grouped  under  wrong 
captions  it  is  because  lack  of  time  prevented  us  from  check- 
ing the  report  to  all  existing  ordinances  and  statutes. 


I. 

DEFECTIVE     CONDITIONS     EASILY       CORRECTED     BY 
SLIGHT  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  ADMINISTRATION. 

Construction  Department. 

1.  The  same  thickness  of  pavement  has  been  laid  on  residen- 
tial streets  having  very  slight  traffic  as  on  downtown  streets 
having  heavy  traffic.  Many  thousands  of  dollars  might  be 
saved  annually  if  the  city  when  building  pavements  would 
adapt  the  thickness  of  the  pavement  to  the  stresses  it  will 
be  required  to  bear.  All  city  pavement  specifications  used 
hereafter  should  be  carefully  reviewed  by  a  pavement  special- 
ist. (This  work  might  be  assigned  to  the  New  York  Bureau 
of  Municipal  Research  or  taken  up  by  the  local  bureau  as 
soon  as  it  is  organized. 

2.  Sewer  specifications  on  which  contractors  have  been  asked 
to  bid  have  been  so  indefinite  that  neither  the  city*s  nor  the 
contractors'  interests  were  protected. 

3.  Inspection  work  on  Atlanta's  streets  has  been  extremely 
poor — particularly  of  repairs.  Many  inspectors  have  been 
incompetent,  they  have  not  been  sufficiently  instructed  or 
equipped  and  there  has  been  a  lack  of  discipline.  If  neces- 
sary to  secure  a  better  grade  of  men,  a  higher  rate  of  pay 
should  be  offered,  they  should  be  fully  instructed  and  equip- 
ped, and  when  their  efficiency  records  show  poor  work  they 
should  be  dismissed  on  charges  and  made  ineligible  to  re- 
employment. 

4.  There  has  been  an  insufficient  number  of  inspectors  during 
the  work  season  and  too  many  during  the  winter.  This  con- 
dition may  easily  be  remedied  if  instead  of  providing  in  the 
budget  for  a  fixed  number  of  inspectors  throughout  the 
year  there  was  provided  to  cover  work  which  is  seasonal, 
a  definite  number  of  months  of  inspection  at  so  much  per 
month.  The  flexibility  thus  afforded  would  enable  the  ad- 
ministrator to  regulate  his  force  according  to  the  demands 
of  the  work. 

5.  Streets  have  been  torn  up  for  several  blocks  and  allowed 
to  remain  long  in  an  incompleted  condition.  If  the  city  can 
enforce  a  time  limit  penalty  clause  in  contracts  for  con- 
struction work  it  should  do  so.  If  not,  then  a  law  should 
be  secured  to  permit  it.  Some  of  the  city  contracts  have 
included  such  clauses  but  they  have  not  been  enforced. 

6.  The  degree  of  energy  with  which  all  work  of  the  depart- 
ment has  been  pushed  in  different  parts  of  the  city  has  been 


<:-o/]v,^  /     7 

influenced  by  the  ward  system.  A  definite  work  program 
should  be  mapped  out  at  the  beginning  of  the  season,  author- 
ized and  fully  appropriated  and  strictly  adhered  to  through- 
out the  year — each  job  being  taken  up  only  in  regular  se- 
quence as  it  appears  in  the  work  program. 

7.  Approval  of  further  changes  in  grades  of  streets,  unless 
urgently  required  should  await  the  development  of  plans  of 
the  newly  appointed  Atlanta  city  plan  commission  so  as  to 
insure  the  co-ordination  of  such  changes  with  a  general  city 
plan. 

8.  Owing  to  the  location  of  the  department's  stables  at  one 
side  of  town  there  is  a  tremendous  loss  of  time  and  also  of 
team  energy  in  going  to  and  returning  from  places  of  work.  . 
Moreover,  the  hauling  of  perspiring  convicts  in  open  wagons   V/ 
in  cold  weather  tends  to  cause  sickness  among  them.    Fa- 

— ciltfcies  should  be  provided  for  keeping  part  of  the  teams 
and  wagons  on  the  opposite  side  of  town,  at  least  during 
the  work  season.  As  long  as  the  convict  system  is  retained, 
the  convicts  might  be  transported  by  special  street  cars  to 
and  from  points  near  their  places  of  work. 

9.  The  efficiency  of  city  convict  gangs  is  much  less  than  that 
of  the  county  gangs. 

10.  The  water  department  does  its  ditching  by  department 
labor  and  the  construction  department  by  contract.  One  of 
these  methods  is  undoubtedly  cheaper  than  the  other  and 
the  department  using  the  more  expensive  method  is  there- 
fore wasting  the  amount  of  difference  in  cost.  Which 
method  is  the  cheaper  can  not  be  determined  until  adequate 
cost  records  are  established. 

11.  The  department  has  kept  no  records  showing  unit  costs 
on  any  repair  work  or  on  construction  work  done  by  de- 
partmental labor,  nor  have  any  records  been  kept  showing 
efficiency  of  employes.  Such  records  should  be  established 
and  used  as  a  basis  for  administration. 

12.  No  printed  annual  report  has  been  issued  by  the  depart- 
ment for  several  years.  A  report  should  be  issued  annually 
showing  work  done  during  the  year,  unit  costs  thereof, 
comparisons  with  preceding  years,  recommendations,  etc. 
Enough  money  is  wasted  in  the  publishing  of  almost  any 
one  of  the  other  departmental  reports  to  pay  for  one  for 
this  department. 

13.  The  physical  arrangement  of  the  department's  offices  is 
not  conducive  to  efficiency.  Suggestions  for  improvement 
are  set  forth  on  pages  27  to  29  of  this  report. 


Park  Department. 

"^  1.  Piedmont  Park  is  neither  policed  nor  lighted  at  night  and 
Grant  Park  has  only  one  policeman  and  is  poorly  lighted. 
All  city  parks  should  be  well  lighted  and  policed,  particu- 
larly during  the  first  half  of  the  night  and  during  the  warmer 
months. 

2.  Adequate  cost  records  have  not  been  maintained.     ? 

3.  After  insufficient  advertising  the  board  let  park  privileges 
on  a  six  year  contract.  This  is  too  long  a  period,  because 
at  the  end  of  two  or  three  years  the  privilege  may  have 
become  twice  as  valuable. 

Police  Department. 

1.  Complete  efficiency  records  should  be  maintained  currently 
of  every  man  in  the  department.  This  has  not  been  done. 
Neither  have  complaints  coming  to  the  department  been 
made  a  matter  of  record  as  they  should. 

2.  Greater  endeavor  should  be  made  to  inform  the  force  rela- 
tive to  men  and  property  wanted.  This  may  be  done  by 
giving  them  each  a  copy  of  the  daily  list  or  by  questioning 
them  relative  to  instructions  given  verbally. 

3.  Fingerprint  equipment  and  a  fingerprint  operator  should  be 
provided.    This  is  necessary  in  present  day  police  work. 

4.  Card  records  of  previous  arrests  are  compiled  but  no  real 
use  is  made  of  them.  Those  which  relate  to  prisoners  about 
to  be  arraigned  should  be  sent  up  to  court  for  the  informa- 
tion of  the  recorder  when  determining  sentence. 

5.  The  uniformed  force  does  not  have  a  soldierly  bearing.  At 
the  time  men  join  the  force  they  should  be  given  "setting- 
up"  exercises  and  a  soldierly  appearance  should  be  contin- 
ually insisted  upon. 

6.  The  traffice  squad  should  be  further  instructed  in  traffic 
regulation  and  be  equipped  with  whistles. 

7.  The  annual  reports  of  the  department  should  be  improved. 
The  1911  report  contains  78  pages  and  onehalf  of  it  is  de- 
voted to  matter  which  has  no  value  in  a  report.  Much 
matter  of  value  was  omitted. 

Fire  Department. 

1.  Each  member  of  the  department  should  be  furnished  with 
a  book  of  the  department's  rules.  There  is  no  such  book  at 
present. 


2.  Although  reports  are  submitted  showing  the  location  of 
each  fire  no  compilation  is  made  of  the  ins  and  outs  of  each 
company  or  the  total  fires  responded  to  by  each  company. 
Such  records  are  valuable  as  a  supplemental  check  on  the 
company's  efficiency. 

3.  There  are  no  published  reports  of  the  work  of  the  fire  in- 
spector. 

4.  While  the  department  appears  to  have  been  fortunate  thus 
far  in  its  purchase  of  horses  without  a  guarantee  period  the 
city's  interests  would  be  better  protected  if  horses  were 
purchased  subject'  to  a  ten  or  thirty  day  trial. 

5.  Fire  hose  is  purchased  according  to  brand  and  on  a  three 
year  guarantee.  A  guarantee  is  of  little  value  in  saving 
property  and  life  if  hose  breaks  at  a  serious  fire.  The  ad- 
vantages of  purchasing  fire  hose  on  specifications  approved 
by  the  national  board  of  fire  underwriters  is  suggested  for 
serious  consideration. 

Water  Department. 

1.  If  meters  were  read  and  collections  made  only  quarterly  in- 
stead of  monthly  as  at  present  all  of  the  reasons  which 
make  frequent  reading  desirable  would  be  complied  with, 
there  would  be  much  less  annoyance  to  the  consumer  and 
less  cost  for  meter  reading  and  clerical  work. 

2.  The  present  accounting  system  while  satisfactory  in  most 
respects  causes  some  confusion  by  permitting  duplicate  pay- 
ments. Suggestions  for  obviating  this  difficulty  are  set 
forth  on  page  46  of  this  report. 

3.  No  statements  are  available  showing  a  comparison  of  the 
quantity  of  water  pumped  with  the  total  quantity  consumed 
as  indicated  by  the  meter  readings.  Such  statements  should 
be  prepared  to  aid  in  determining  the  quantity  of  water  lost 
by  leakage. 

4.  The  published  reports  of  water  revenues  and  expenses  indi- 
cate that  consideration  should  be  given  to  lowering  the  cost 
of  water  to  consumers. 

Sanitary  Department. 

1.  To  secure  cleaner  streets  an  intensive  study  should  be  made 
of  the  kinds  and  conditions  of  streets,  kinds  of  tools  used, 
work  methods  and  organization  of  the  department  as  a  basis 
for  more  efficient  administration.  Such  a  study  might  be 
conducted  by  a  local  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research. 


10 

2.  The  day  patrol  system  as  operated  at  present  stirs  up  a 
great  deal  of  dust  and  should  be  supplemented  by  sprinkling. 

3.  The  supply  of  receptacles  for  containing  sweepings  is  in- 
adequate. 

4.  Streets  which  have  a  disintegrating  pavement  should  be 
oiled.    J'his  has  not  been  done. 

5.  Careful  inquiry  should  be  made  relative  to  the  feasibility 
of  generating  electricity  in  the  new  crematory. 

6.  The  department  maintains  no  efficiency  or  unit  cost  records 
whatever.  There  are  not  even  any  records  showing  areas 
cleaned  each  day  nor  quantity  of  garbage  consumed  in  the 
crematory.  Efficiency  and  cost  records  are  very  valuable 
as  a  basis  for  administration  in  a  department  like  this  aila 
should  be  established  as  soon  as  possible  for  street  cleaning, 
garbage  removal,  flushing  sewers,  and  cleaning  catch  ba- 
sins. 

Inspection  of  Buildings. 

1.  There  is  no  record  showing  the  name  of  the  inspector  mak- 
ing any  particular  inspection.  It  is  therefore  impossible 
from  the  records  to  fix  any  responsibility.  A  rule  should 
be  promulgated  at  once  that  each  inspector  turn  in  a  signed 
report  of  each  inspection. 

2.  The  department  files  contain  the  records  of  several  thou- 
sand buildings,  the  construction  of  which  has  been  approved 
and  the  owners  of  which  are  therefore  entitled  to  special 
discounts  allowed  by  fire  insurance  underwriters  for  pre- 
miums on  such  buildings.  Endeavor  should  be  made  to  no- 
tify the  owners  of  these  buildings  so  that  they  may  have 
the  benefit  of  the  reduced  insurance  premiums. 

Inspection  of  Weights  and  Measures. 

No  record  is  kept  of  the  work  done  by  the  inspector  of  weights. 
A  system  for  recording  such  work  currently  is  suggested 
on  page  45  of  this  report. 

Comptroller's  OflSce. 

1.  There  is  no  uniformity  of  payrolls  and  none  of  them  con- 
tain any  certificates  of  facts  as  a  means  of  fixing  respon- 
sibility and  as  a  basis  for  payment.  Moreover  the  certifi- 
cates on  payment  vouchers  for  contracts  and  open  market 
orders  are  also  wholly  inadequate. 

2.  The  comptroller  has  no  accounting  control  over  any  of  the 


11 

financial  stationery  used  by  the  city,  i.  e.,  licenses,  permits, 
etc.  Good  business  methods  demand  that  such  a  control 
be  established. 

3.  Although  property  accounts  are  maintained  they  need  am- 
plifying so  that  they  may  be  used  as  a  basis  for  admin- 
istration. 

4.  A  large  amount  of  clerical  labor  is  wasted  in  posting  what 
is  known  as  the  police  docket.  A  plan  for  obviating  this 
work  is  described  on  page  48  of  this  report. 

5.  The  only  system  which  enables  a  city  readily  to  ascertain 
its  exact  financial  condition  at  any  time  comprehends  the 
setting  up  as  liabilities  against  appropriations  and  bond 
funds,  of  all  contracts  and  open  market  orders  at  the  time 
they  are  consummated  or  issued.  By  a  slight  amplification 
the  present  accounting  system  of  Atlanta  may  be  put  upon 
that  kind  of  a  basis  and  thus  by  currently  showing  the  unen- 
cumbered as  well  as  the  unexpended  balances  will  prevent 
the  overencumbering  of  authorizations. 

Budget  Methods. 

The  making  of  the  annual  budget  is  the  most  important  govern- 
mental event  of  the  year  to  the  citizens  of  Atlanta  and  yet 
all  of  the  work  in  connection  therewith  has  been  done  se- 
cretively. Although  budget  making  is  public  business  the 
public  has  known  absolutely  nothing  of  what  was  going  on. 
Large  numbers  of  citizens  are  conversant  with  the  commu- 
nity needs  and  are  ardently  desirous  of  bettering  existing 
conditions.  They  can  be  of  absolutely  no  assistance  however, 
unless  (1)  the  city  officials  inform  them  promptly  of  the 
amount  of  each  departmental  request  for  operating  the  sev- 
eral functions  and  activities  of  that  department,  (2)  the 
city  officials  inform  them  promptly  of  the  comptroller's  rec- 
ommendations with  respect  thereto,  and  (3)  they  are  given 
an  opportunity  by  the  budget  making  body  of  appearing 
before  it  and  being  heard  in  matters  of  increasing  or  de- 
creasing particular  appropriations. 

Passing  Ordinances. 

1.  It  is  customary  to  pass  ordinances  on  their  second  reading 
at  the  same  meeting  at  which  they  are  introduced,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  there  is  a  charter  provision  evidently 
intended  to  prevent  just  such  a  custom.  It  is  a  dangerous 
policy  and  should  be  abandoned  because  it  does  not  give 
either  the  public  or  officials  adequate  notice  of  proposed  leg- 
islation. 


12 

2.  The  city  is  now  large  enough  and  measures  put  through 
councils  are  important  enough  to  justify  printing  the  pro- 
ceedings in  pamphlet  form  immediately  after  each  meeting 
and  making  them  currently  available  to  council  members, 
city  officials  and  those  of  the  general  public  who  may  be 
sufficiently  interested  to  ask  for  copies. 

Purchasing  Supplies  and  Materials. 

1.  At  the  present  time  a  large  proportion  of  the  city's  pur- 
chases are  made  with  little  regard  for  the  kind,  grade,  style, 
etc.,  of  equipment,  supplies  and  materials  best  adapted  for 
each  particular  need.  To  buy  efficiently  and  economically 
everything  which  is  susceptible  of  description  should  be  de- 
scribed in  specifications  and  all  specifications  should  be 
standardized. 

2.  Supplementary  to  standardization  of  specifications  and  cen- 
tralization of  purchasing  power,  the  needs  of  all  departments 
should  so  far  as  possible  be  anticipated  a  year  in  advance 
and  contracts  let  for  quantities  to  last  the  entire  period. 
In  many  instances  this  has  not  been  done. 

Bank  Deposits  and  Treasurer's  Balances. 

1.  The  city  receives  only  2  per  cent,  interest  on  its  deposits  in 
bank.  It  is  probable  that  the  comptroller  might  arrange  to 
make  time  deposits  for  a  definite  number  of  months  so  that 
a  higher  rate  of  interest  might  be  secured. 

2.  The  city  treasurer  has  on  hand  at  all  times  an  amount  aver- 
aging over  $50,000  and  on  which  no  interest  whatever  is 
received.  This  money  should  earn  at  least  2  per  cent,  on 
daily  balances. 

Collecting  Taxes. 

1.  A  system  of  prebilling  ah  three  tax  installments  should  be 
designed  and  adopted.  Such  a  system  would  do  away  with 
all  congestion  in  the  tax  office  caused  by  taxpayers  waiting 
to  pay  their  taxes,  would  be  much  less  susceptible  of  error, 
and  would  involve  less  clerical  work. 

2.  To  facilitate  payment  of  taxes,  the  cages  in  the  assessor's 
office  and  tax  collector's  offices  should  be  rearranged,  or  a 
carrier  system  installed. 


18 

n. 

INEFFECTIVE  CONDITIONS  EASILY  CORRECTED  WITHOUT 
REORGANIZATION  BUT   REQUIRING  ORDINANCE 
AUTHORITY. 

Canstruction  Department. 

1.  Although  some  laboratory  tests  have  been  made  of  pave- 
ment material  by  a  local  firm  of  engineering  chemists  the 
number  of  such  tests  has  been  entirely  inadequate  owing  to 
the  cost  thereof.  Such  tests  are  always  desirable  to  insure 
the  delivery  by  contractors  of  the  proper  grade  of  material. 
It  would  probably  be  cheaper  if  the  city  established  a  testing 
laboratory  of  its  own  for  testing  pavement  material  and  all 
other  materials  and  supplies  purchased  by  the  city. 

-^  2.  Instead  of  burdening  the  current  year's  tax  budget  with 
the  entire  cost  (city's  share)  of  paving  and  repaving  done 
during  the  year  as  is  now  done,  it  would  be  much  better  to 
pay  it  with  the  proceeds  of  ten  year  serial  bonds  because 
the  cost  would  then  be  more  equitably  distributed  over  the 
life  of  the  pavement. 

3.  The  present  plan  of  charging  persons  desiring  to  make  cuts 
in  pavements  a  fixed  amount  is  bad  because  the  depart- 
ment's workmen  endeavor  to  keep  the  cost  of  repairing  such 
cuts  within  the  amount  of  the  charge  and  poor  work  results. 
Every  cut  made  in  the  city's  pavements  should  be  repaired 
in  the  best  possible  manner  and  the  actual  cost  of  the  work 
plus  a  small  percentage  f  or~overhead  costs  should  be  charged 
the  person  for  whose  benefit  the  cut  is  made. 

^4.  The  department  frequently  does  not  extend  all  underground 
pipe  connections  to  the  curb  line  or  compel  public  service 
corporations  to  do  contemplated  ground  work  prior  to  pav- 
ing or  repaving.  As  a  result  pavements  are  continually  torn 
up  to  do  such  work  subsequently.  Permission  for  this  has 
been  too  easily  obtained.  A  policy  should  be  strictly  ad- 
hered to  that  all  sub-surface  structural  work  be  completed 
before  paving  or  repaving  or  a  waiver  in  writing  secured 
from  all  parties  interested,  not  to  have  such  work  done 
within  a  definite  number  of  years. 

5.  Repairs  of  asphalt  pavement  and  construction  of  lateral 
sewers  are  seriously  hampered  because  reimbursements  on 
account  of  work  done  are  credited  into  the  general  fund 
instead  of  being  credited  back  to  the  appropriations  made 
therefor. 

6.  Personal  sureties  are  accepted  from  some  of  those  desiring 


14 

i 
to  make  cuts  in  pavements.  This  is  a  bad  policy  because 
the  security  may  also  be  already  pledged  for  its  full  value 
and  the  city  might  therefore  suffer  loss.  A  bond  of  a  regis- 
tered bonding  company  should  be  required  in  each  case. 

Police  Department. 

1.  The  present  restriction  that  only  members  of  the  regular 
police  force  are  eligible  to  appointment  as  detectives  should 
be  removed.  Many  good  detectives  might  be  barred  out  by 
such  a  rule. 

2.  Revolvers  which  are  confiscated  should  be  destroyed  and 
not  re-distributed  by  auction  sale  as  at  present. 

Fire  Department. 

All  employes  in  this  department  should  be  selected  by  com- 
petitive examination  held  under  civil  service  regulations. 
At  the  present  time  the  fire  chief  exercises  absolute  power 
of  hiring  and  dismissing  men. 

Inspection  of  Buildings. 

1.  Although  the  office  of  inspector  of  buildings  is  charged  by 
ordinance  with  the  duty  of  examining  and  approving  plans 
for  buildings  there  is  not  a  graduate  architect  or  engineer 
in  the  department.  It  is  therefore  problematical  whether 
building  plans  receive  adequate  examination.     In  view  of 

'  the  size  of  buildings  now  being  erected  in  Atlanta  this  con- 
dition should  be  remedied. 

2.  The  ordinance  relating  to  fire  escapes  leaves  the  enforce- 
ment thereof  to  the  discretion  of  the  building  inspector. 
This  is  a  dangerous  policy  and  should  be  remedied  at  once. 

Inspection  of  Weights  and  Measures. 

The  city  is  receiving  very  little  protection  from  the  use  of 
short  measures  because  the  municipal  code  makes  inade- 
quate provision  for  the  inspection  of  measures.  This  also 
is  a  matter  affecting  every  citizen  and  should  have  early 
attention. 

Comptroller's  Office. 

1.  Authority  should  be  given  the  comptroller  to  operate  an 
unclaimed  salaries  and  wages  account  so  it  will  not  be  neces- 
sary to  obtain  authority  from  council  as  at  present,  every 
time  a  laborer  returns  for  a  day's  pay  which  he  has  neg- 
lected to  obtain  on  pay-day. 


15 

2.  The  comptroller  should  no  longer  be  required  to  submit  at 
each  council  meting  a  detailed  list  of  warrants  drawn  since 
the  previous  meeting.  It  is  unnecessary  and  causes  consid- 
erable work. 

Budget  Methods. 

Restrictions  against  over-encumbering  appropriations  should 
be  included  in  the  budget  ordinance.  Past  budgets  have 
contained  no  restrictions  whatever. 

Payment  of  Claims. 

1.  The  present  ordinances  and  rules  which  require  that  several 
signatures  be  attached  to  payment  vouchers  delays  payment 
and  is  of  no  additional  protection  to  the  city.  More  than 
three  signatures  on  a  voucher  are  of  little  or  no  value  be- 
cause they  are  usually  made  only  because  other  officials  have 
already  signed. 

2.  Dealers  doing  business  with  the  city  are  compelled  to  go 
twice  to  the  city  hall  before  being  paid  for  claims.  Such  a 
procedure  militates  against  securing  low  prices  and  is  unnec- 
essary, as  set  forth  on  page  55  of  this  report. 

Bank  Deposits. 

1.  Personal  sureties  are  accepted  for  each  of  the  banks  having 
city  money  on  deposit.  In  each  case  these  sureties  are  the 
officers  or  directors  of  the  particular  banks.  It  is  suggested 
that  it  would  be  better  business  policy  to  require  surety 
from  registered  bonding  companies. 

2.  It  is  suggested  also  that  the  amount  of  the  city's  money 
which  may  be  placed  on  deposit  in  any  one  bank  be  limited 
to  a  percentage  of  the  capital  and  surplus  of  that  bank  and 
not  be  unlimited  as  at  present. 

Bonded  Debt. 

1.  The  city  has  a  bonded  debt  of  $655,000  (December  31, 
1912)  for  which  no  provision  has  been  made  for  payment. 
To  neglect  next  year  and  each  succeeding  year  to  set  aside 
a  reserve  to  pay 'these  bonds  when  they  become  due,  is  not 
consonant  with  sound  financing.  Instead  of  waiting  until 
they  become  due  and  issuing  refunding  bonds,  which  in  turn 
must  be  paid  by  the  next  generation  of  taxpayers,  plans 
should  be  adopted  at  once  for  the  establishment  of  a  sinking 
fund  to  which  payments  will  be  made  each  succeeding  year, 
beginning  with  1913. 


16 

2.  When  issuing  bonds  careful  consideration  should  be  given 
to  the  advantages  of  serial  bonds  over  those  issued  on  a 
sinking  fund  plan. 

Collecting  Taxes. 

1.  If  taxes  were  collectible  only  in  semi-annual  installments, 
instead  of  in  three  installments  as  at  present,  the  amounts 
collected  would  be  adequate  to  finance  the  city  throughout 
the  year  without  borrowing,  the  public  would  suffer  less  an- 
noyance and  less  clerical  work  would  be  caused  the  tax 
office. 

2.  The  present  ordinance  which  permits  payment  on  install- 
ment dates  of  any  part  of  the  amount  levied  has  no  prac- 
tical advantages,  unnecessarily  complicates  the  bookkeeping 
and  should  be  changed.  Payments  should  only  be  accepted 
in  definite  units  of  1-3  or  1-2  of  the  amount  levied. 


III. 

DEFECTIVE  CONDITIONS  EASILY  CORRECTED  BUT  RE- 
QUIRING REORGANIZATION,  FOR  WHICH  ORDI- 
NANCE AUTHORITY  IS  NECESSARY. 

Construction  Department. 

1.  To  aid  in  a  better  coordination  of  the  work  of  the  depart- 
ment and  fix  responsibility  all  work  pertaining  to  streets 
and  sewers  should  be  consolidated  in  two  bureaus,  the  super- 
intendents of  which  should  have  special  training  and  experi- 

.^  ence  in  such  work.  Like  their  subordinates,  they  should 
be  selected  by  competitive  examinations  held  under  civil 
service  regulations.  Insufficient  importance  has  hereto- 
fore been  attached  to  the  requirement  of  special  training 
and  experience  for  men  employed  in  the  construction  de- 
partment. 

2.  The  duty  of  operating  the  new  sewage  disposal  plants 
should  be  transferred  to  the  sanitary  department  because 
it  relates  closely  to  street  cleaning,  cleaning  catch  basins, 
flushing  sewers,  etc.,  all  of  which  is  done  by  that  depart- 
ment. Moreover  it  is  an  operative  function  similar  to  the 
crematory  and  unrelated  to  the  functions  of  the  construc- 
tion department. 

Inspection  Licenses. 

The  inspector  of  license  (salary  $1,500)  and  his  assistant  (sal- 
ary $1,100)  are  little  more  than  messengers.    These  posi- 


17 

tions  should  be  abolished,  the  quarterly  notifications  sent  out 
by  the  city  clerk,  and  license  inspections  made  by  the  regular 
police  force. 

Purchasing  Supplies  and  Materials. 

A  considerable  amount  of  purchasing  has  already  been  cen- 
tralized in  the  comptroller's  office.  While  this  is  commend- 
able of  the  comptroller,  it  is  contrary  to  good  business  or- 
ganization because  it  places  the  expenditure  of  money  and 
audit  of  claims  in  the  hands  of  the  same  official.  Central- 
ization of  purchasing  should  be  extended  because  it  means 
a  large  financial. saving  to  the  city  but  it  should  be  placed 
in  charge  of  a  purchasing  agent,  which  office  should  be  ap- 
pointive and  separate  from  all  other  city  departments. 


IV. 

DEFECTIVE  CONDITIONS  EASILY  CORRECTED  BUT  RE* 
QUIRING  REORGANIZATION,  FOR  WHICH  STATU- 
TORY AUTHORITY  IS  NECESSARY. 

Canstruction  Department. 

The  head  of  this  department  being  an  elective  officer  the  de- 
partment has  been  organized  largely  according  to  political 
expediency.  As  a  result  positions  of  responsibility  have 
sometimes  been  filled  by  men  who  while  well  intentioned 
were  not  adequately  trained  for  the  duties  given  them  to 
perform.  The  head  of  the  department  should  be  an  ap- 
pointive official  and  the  best  man  available  in  Atlanta  or 
anywhere  else  in  the  United  States  should  be  eligible  for 
appointment. 

Park,  Police,  Fire  and  Water  Departments. 

Each  of  these  departments  has  an  executive  head  to  whom 
the  public  looks  for  results  and  to  whom  they  naturally 
attribute  inefficiency.  These  executive  heads,  however,  have 
but  a  limited  power.  They  are  responsible  not  to  the  mayor 
nor  even  to  the  council  but  to  large  unwieldy  boards  of  com- 
missioners.   These  boards  are  unnecessary  because: 

a.  The  statutes  and  ordinances  being  plainly  written  all 
that  remains  is  to  see  that  they  are  obeyed  and  the 
head  of  a  department  can  do  that  unassisted. 

b.  A  single  head  of  a  department  constantly  on  the  job 
knows  more  of  the  conditions  and  needs  of  his  depart- 


I 


18 

ment  from  an  administrative  side  than  any  board  of 
citizens  can  hope  to  know. 

c.  The  city  already  has  a  legislative  body  and  committees 
thereof.  The  boards  actually  operate  to  deter  efficient 
administration  because : 

a.  Being  elected  by  the  council  they  are  a  step  re- 
moved from  the  city  electorate  and  hence  not  read- 
ily susceptible  to  public  demand. 

b.  Being  composed  in  most  cases  of  a  representative 
from  each  ward  there  is  always  a  tendency  to  se- 
cure favors  to  particular  wards. 

c.  Not  being  in  constant  contact  with  the  department 
they  are  not  sufficiently  familiar  with  the  condi- 
tions and  needs  thereof  and  even  with  the  best  in- 
tentions may  restrain  effective  work  by  the  head 
of  the  department. 

Each  department  should  have  a  single  head  who  should  be 
appointed  and  to  whom  the  public  might  look  for  results 
and  who  alone  would  be  responsible  for  inefficiency. 

Inspection  of  Buildings. 

The  duties  of  the  building  inspector  and  his  assistants  are 
constantly  increasing  and  might  well  be  transferred  and 
made  a  bureau  of  the  construction  department.  The  man  in 
charge  of  this  work  should  be  appointed  and  not  elected  as 
at  the  present  time.  The  best  man  available  for  the  posi- 
tion might  then  be  secured.  Moreover  an  inefficient  man 
could  be  more  easily  removed  from  the  position. 


V. 


DEFECTIVE  CONDITIONS  EASILY  CORRECTED  BUT  RE- 
QUIRING INCREASED  APPROPRIATIONS. 

Construction  Department. 

1.  The  council  has  sometimes  authorized  new  work  but  not  ap- 
propriated enough  money  therefor. 

2.  There  has  not  been  an  adequate  amount  available  for  re- 
pairing pavements. 

Park  Department. 

1.  Park  roads  in  other  cities  are  used  almost  exclusively  by 
automobilists.     There  are  a  large  number  of  automobiles 


19 

in  Atlanta  but  the  park  roads  are  in  such  bad  condition  that 
it  may  almost  be  said  there  are  none.  Automobile  owners 
pay  no  license  fee  whatever  to  the  city  (and  only  a  minimum 
fee  to  the  state) .  If  a  city  automobile  license  wer^  required 
and  the  fees  set  aside  for  building  park  roads  and  then  con- 
necting boulevards  it  would  only  be  a  few  years  before  the 
city  had  a  real  park  system.  With  the  abolishment  of  the 
ward  system  of  government  these  license  fees  might  be  put 
in  the  general  fund  because  then  the  park  department  would 
receive  more  attention  from  those  charged  with  apportion- 
ing the  appropriations. 

2.  The  city  has  provided  no  park  facilities  whatever  for  its 
large  colored  population.  If  property  can  not  be  secured 
otherwise  bonds  might  well  be  issued  for  such  a  purpose. 

Police  Department. 

The  city  needs  at  least  two  more  station  houses.  They  should 
be  combined  with  fire  stations  and  health  department 
branches. 

Inspection  of  Weights  and  Measures. 

The  inspector  of  weights  and  measures  should  be  given  more 
authority  with  respect  to  measure  and  then  given  assistance 
in  performing  his  work. 

Assessing  and  Collecting  Taxes. 

There  is  need  in  the  assessor's  office  for  a  complete  and  correct 
tax  map  of  the  city. 


VI. 

OTHER     CONSPICUOUS    OPPORTUNITIES  CONFRONTING 

ATLANTA'S  CITY  GOVERNMENT  (Exclusive  of  health 

and  Education). 

1.  To  combine  the  city  and  county  governments  into  a  single 
efficient  and  simple  form  which  will  definitely  fix  respon- 
^     sibility  and  be  readily  amenable  to  public  demand. 
^2.  To  establish  a  municipal  civil  service. 

3.  To  standardize  all  salaries  of  municipal  employes. 

4.  To  consolidate  the  city  repair  shops. 
\^^.  To  purge  the  city  of  smoke  nuisance. 

S©  To  develop  the  city's  parks,  including  the  establishment  of 
a  park  for  negroes. 
7.  To  abolish  barren  strips  along  sidewalks. 


20 

8.  To  erect  safety  islands  on  heavy  traffic  streets. 

9.  To  abolish  overhead  wires,  at  least  to  combine  light  and 
trolley  on  one  system  of  poles. 

10.  To  abolish  grade  crossings. 

11.  To  prevent  automobile  blockades  in  the  principal  down- 
town streets. 

12.  To  erect  sufficient  number  of  street  signs. 

VII. 

IMMEDIATE  NEXT  STEPS  FOR  ATLANTA'S  CITY 
GOVERNMENT. 

1.  Establishment  at  once  by  the  citizens  of  Atlanta  of  a  Bu- 
reau of  Municipal  Research  to  co-operate  and  assist  the  local 
governments,  both  city  and  county,  in  doing  the  same  kind 
of  constructive  work  which  has  been  done  in  New  York  City, 
Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  and  other  cities  with  the 
aid  of  similar  bureaus. 

2.  Establishment  of  a  simpler  form  of  government  and  adop- 
tion of  more  efficient  business  methods. 

CONSTRUCTION  DEPARTMENT. 

There  appears  to  have  been  a  long  seated  dissatisfaction 
throughout  the  city  with  the  work  of  this  department.  The  re- 
sults of  the  survey  thereof  are  here  discussed  under  (1)  general 
organization,  (2)  field  methods,  (3)  office  methods,  (4)  methods 
of  financing  and  (5)  methods  of  selecting  pavements. 

GENERAL  ORGANIZATION. 

Should  be  an  Appointive  OflSce. 

Efficient  administration  of  the  office  of  chief  of  construction 
demands  that  it  be  filled  by  a  high  grade  business  executive  se- 
lected solely  on  merit.  It  would  be  better  were  he  to  have  a  tech- 
nical engineering  training  also  but  this  is  not  essential.  [^Vhen 
men  such  as  this  position  needs  can  be  persuaded  to  serve  the 
people  in  such  an  office  the  position  must  usually  come  to  them 
by  appointment  without  the  strife,  and  often  taint,  of  political 
contest.  The  head  of  the  depariment  charged  with  building  and 
maintaining  the  city*s  streets  should  be  bound  by  no  campaign 
obligations  and  have  no  political  fences  to  ten^Hi  And  yet  this  is  an 
elective  office  in  Atlanta.  Such  work  can  not  be  mixed  with 
politics  without  just  such  a  result  as  Atlanta  has  experienced. 
It  is  logically  to  be  expected.  The  chief  of  construction  should 
be  appointive  and  the  best  man  available  in  Atlanta  or  anywhere 
else  in  the  United  States  should  be  eligible  for  appointment. 


21 
Two  Bureaus  Recommended. 

The  two  main  functions  of  the  department  comprise  the  con- 
struction and  repair  of  streets,  and  the  construction  and  repair 
of  sewers  and  operation  of  sewage  disposal  plants.  A  recent 
ordinance  intended  as  a  basis  for  reorganization  of  the  depart- 
ment provided  for  an  assistant  chief  of  construction,  an  engineer 
in  charge  of  streets  and  another  in  charge  of  sewers.  The  latter 
two  positions  are  necessary  but  assuming  the  head  of  the  depart- 
ment to  be  efficient  it  does  not  seem  that  as  a  matter  of  organ- 
ization an  assistant  chief  of  construction  is  necessary.  Such 
internal  reorganization  can  at  best  but  bolster  up  an  illogical 
structure.    As  indicated  above  changes  are  basic. 

Need  for  Competent  Supervision. 

The  men  at  the  head  of  the  bureau  of  streets  and  the  bureau 
of  sewers  should  be  men  of  experience  and  recognized  standing 
xn  street  and  sewer  construction  respectively.  If  they  are  also 
graduate  engineers  so  much  the  better  but  the  prime  requisite 
should  be  experience.  They  might  be  designated  respectively 
as  superintendent  of  streets  and  superintendent  of  sewers.  (The 
present  position  of  superintendent  of  streets  should  be  abolished.) 
Salaries  should  be  provided  for  these  positions  adequate  to  at- 
tract competent  men  and  they  should  be  continued  in  office  under 
civil  service  regulations.  The  former  would  have  supervision 
of  all  street  work  both  new  work  and  repairing  and  including 
sidewalks  and  curbs.  The  latter  would  have  supervision  of  all 
construction  and  repair  of  sewers.  Other  construction  and  re- 
pair work  such  as  sewage  disposal  plants,  crematory,  etc.,  might 
be  assigned  to  either  of  these  two  bureaus  according  to  the 
judgment  of  the  chief  of  construction  or  retained  under  his  per- 
sonal direction. 

The  superintendents  of  streets  and  sewers  should  be  held 
strictly  accountable  for  results  and  they  ought,  therefore,  to 
be  allowed  to  nominate  their  subordinates,  appointments  being 
made  by  the  head  of  the  department  after  a  test  of  qualifications. 
Pending  establishment  of  a  civil  service  commission  such  tests 
might  be  conducted  under  temporary  civil  service  regulations. 

Establish  a  Bureau  of  Buildings. 

It  would  be  an  excellent  plan  to  transfer  to  this  department 
as  a  bureau  of  buildings  the  work  now  done  by  the  inspector 
of  buildings.  The  head  of  the  bureau  would  be  known  as  super- 
intendent of  buildings.  In  addition  to  enforcing  the  building 
code  that  official,  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  of  construc- 
tion, might  also  supervise  the  erection  of  new  public  buildings. 


22 

Transfer  Disposal  Plants. 

The  operation  of  the  sewage  disposal  plants  like  the  new 
crematory,  might  well  be  placed  under  the  supervision  of  the 
sanitary  department. 

Overhead  Divisions. 

A  sufficient  number  of  rodmen,  levelers,  axemen  and  draftsmen 
should  be  provided  to  do  the  work  of  the  street  and  sewer  bureaus 
respectively,  provided  for  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  in  the 
budget  and  enumerated  in  the  department's  work  program.  They 
should  constitute  a  division,  the  head  of  which  should  be  respon- 
sible directly  to  the  chief  of  construction  and  be  given  assign- 
ments from  the  street  or  sewer  bureaus  according  to  the  exigen- 
cies of  the  work. 

The  accounting,  bookkeeping,  billing,  granting  of  permits  and 
statistical  work  of  the  department  should  be  recognized  as  a  sep- 
arate organization  unit  to  be  called  the  accounting  division.  It 
should  be  under  the  supervision  of  a  chief  accountant  respon- 
sible directly  to  the  chief  of  construction. 


FIELD  METHODS. 

General  Inspection  Needed. 

There  should  be  two  general  inspectors,  reporting  directly  to 
the  chief  of  construction — one  covering  the  north  and  the  other 
the  south  side  of  the  city.  These  men  would  perform  what  is 
sometimes  called  a  field  audit,  a  checking  up  or  insDection  of  the 
inspectors.  They  should  be  supplied  daily  with  lists  of  all  the 
various  kinds  of  jobs  under  way  in  their  respective  districts, 
should  have  copies  of  all  specifications  in  use  and  be  posted  gen- 
erally as  to  the  requirements  of  all  outside  work  of  the  depart- 
ment. They  should  be  equipped  with  motorcycles  and  make 
daily  written  reports  showing  the  time  each  job  was  visited, 
name  pf  inspector  found  there,  condition  of  work,  etc.  These 
reports  might  be  so  arranged  that  one-half  would  relate  to  work 
of  the  bureau  of  streets  and  the  other  half  to  the  bureau  of 
sewers  so  that  after  being  examined  by  the  chief  of  construction 
the  two  parts  might  be  separated  and  given  to  the  heads  of  these 
bureaus  respectively. 

Sub-inspection  Should  be  Improved. 

The  number  of  sub-inspectors  on  new  work  should  be  so  ad- 
justed to  the  season's  work  program  that  there  is  an  inspector 
covering  each  construction  job  at  all  times.  The  sub-inspectors 
on  street  repairs  except  on  large  jobs,  are  the  drivers  of  the  re- 


28 

pair  carts.  That  they  have  done  extremely  poor  work  is  plain  to 
any  one  driving  about  the  city.  These  inspectors  are  paid  only 
$1.65  a  day.  It  seems  probable  that  if  a  higher  wage  was  paid, 
that  a  higher  class  of  men  could  be  obtained,  and  better  inspec- 
tion, and  hence  better  work,  result.  When  inspecting  new  work, 
each  inspector  should  have  with  him  a  copy  of  the  specifications 
for  the  work  he  is  inspecting.  This  has  not  heretofore  been  done. 
Each  inspector  should  also  have  with  him  the  necessary  equip- 
ment for  the  job  he  is  inspecting,  such  as  measuring  tape,  ther- 
mometers for  testing  the  temperature  of  asphalt,  instruments 
for  testing  the  thickness  of  material  laid,  etc.  Heretofore  they 
have  not  always  been  thus  equipped. 

Should  Check  Up  Inspection  Work. 

In  addition  to  securing  a  better  grade  of  inspectors,  properly 
instructed  and  equipped,  their  work  methods  should  be  improved. 
A  large  prpportion  of  the  time  of  repair  gangs  is  directed  to  re- 
pairing cuts  made  for  sewer,  water,  gas,  electric  light  or  street 
railway  purposes.  A  detailed  record  should  also  be  kept  of  the 
location  and  date  of  each  cut  repaired,  and  the  name  of  the  in- 
spector in  charge  of  the  work.  Refills  should  be  puddled  as  well 
as  rammed.  This  is  not  done  at  present.  A  rule  should  be 
adopted  that  after  the  expiration  of  a  stated  length  of  time  (to 
be  determined  upon  by  the  chief  of  construction)  each  repair 
job  would  be  inspected,  and  if  a  depression  or  ridge  be  found 
to  exist,  that  it  would  be  rated  against  him  on  his  efficiency  rec- 
ord, and  after  a  third  offense,  he  would  be  dismissed  from  the 
service.  It  is  believed  that  a  rigid  enforcement  of  such  a  rule 
would  secure  better  repair  work,  and  prevent  the  depressions 
and  ridges  in  pavements,  hundreds  of  which  now  exist  on  the 
city's  streets. 

Should  Charge  Actual  Cost  of  Repairs. 

Another  contributing  cause  to  poor  work  consists  in  charging 
those  who  make  cuts  in  streets  a  fixed  amount  on  a  cubic  yard 
basis  without  proper  regard  for  the  varying  difficulties  of  re- 
pairing the  different  kinds  of  pavement  cut  into,  or  the  varying 
difficulties  of  refilling  due  to  different  kinds  of  soil.  As  the  pres- 
ent system  actually  works  out  the  inspectors  always  endeavor 
to  keep  the  cost  of  repairing  each  cut  within  the  amount  of  the 
fixed  charge.  While  it  is  true  that  if  the  actual  cost  of  time 
and  material  consumed  in  repairing  cuts  were  charged,  varying 
costs  might  result  for  repairing  cuts  of  similar  size  and  condi- 
tions; yet,  if  adequate  efficiency  records  were  maintained  and 
discipline  enforced  as  above  suggested  these  variances  should  be 
reduced  to  a  minimum.  The  present  policy  seems  to  have  been 
adopted  to  please  the  plumbers  and  others  who  cut  into  the  city's 


pavement.  It  is  only  by  sufferance  that  paved  streets  are  per- 
mitted to  be  cut  into — not  by  any  right  of  individuals,  and  when 
such  cuts  are  allowed  to  be  made  the  city's  interests,  which  are 
the  interests  of  the  public  at  large,  should  surely  receive  primary 
consideration. 

Too  Many  Cuts  Made  in  Pavements. 

Sewer,  water  and  gas  connections  should  be  extended  at  least 
to  the  curb  lines  of  each  lot  and  all  contemplated  changes  in 
street  railways  made  prior  to  paving  or  repaving  of  streets  unless 
the  property  owners  and  street  railway  companies  waive  in  writ- 
ing the  right  to  have  such  extensions  made  or  work  done  within 
a  definite  number  of  years  thereafter.  When  such  agreements 
are  made  they  should  run  with  the  land  and  bind  the  heirs  and 
assigns.  If  the  law  on  this  subject  is  inadequate  it  should  be 
supplemented  and  then  enforced  so  as  to  prevent  Atlanta's  pave- 
ments from  being  so  often  torn  up  soon  after  they  are  con- 
structed. It  is  evident  that  permission  to  tear  up  pavements  has 
in  many  cases  been  too  easily  obtained.  Councils  should  adopt 
a  stricter  policy  with  respect  not  only  to  sewer,  water  and  gas 
connections,  but  also  to  granting  permission  to  street  railways 
to  tear  up  pavement.  The  granting  of  permits  to  make  cuts  in 
pavements  is  an  administrative  and  engineering,  and  not  a  legis- 
lative function. 

A  better  co-ordination  of  work  is  also  necessary  between  the 
construction  and  water  departments.  For  example,  an  instance 
was  cited  to  us  where  the  water  board  began  to  tear  up  a  pave- 
ment before  the  rollers  used  in  constructing  it  were  removed  from 
the  street.  Such  conditions  must  be  charged  direct  to  inefficient 
administration. 

Streets  have  been  allowed  to  remain  too  long  in  an  uncom- 
pleted condition.  In  this  connection  a  definite  legal  opinion 
should  be  secured  whether  Atlanta  can  enforce  a  penalty  clause 
in  contracts  when  work  is  not  completed  on  time.  Such  pave- 
ment contracts  carry  such  clauses  and  others  not.  We  heard  of 
none  being  enforced. 

Personal  Sureties  Accepted. 

Persons  desiring  to  make  cuts  in  pavements  are  required  to  put 
up  a  bond  of  Jj>2,500.  The  ordinances  permit  personal  bonds  to 
be  accepted  although  the  city  might  find  it  difficult  to  collect 
thereon.  A  bond  of  a  registered  surety  company  should  be  re- 
quired in  each  case. 


Should  Adhere  to  Work  Program. 

A  reason  advanced  by  the  department  for  streets  remaining 
so  long  in  an  unfinished  condition,  and  which  appears  to  be  well 


V" 


25 

founded,  is  the  fact  that  the  city  council  sometimes  authorizes 
work  on  particular  streets,  but  does  not  appropriate  sufficient 
money  to  do  it,  although  the  council  members  from  the  wards 
in  which  such  sti-eets  are  located  insist  on  the  work  being  begun. 
A  gang  beginning  work  on  a  particular  street  may  be  divided 
into  two  igangs  so  as  to  work  also  in  another  ward,  and  thus  ac- 
commodate the  council  members  from  that  ward  but  of  course 
lengthening  the  time  required  to  complete  the  street  from  which 
the  labor  was  taken.  Such  conditions  are  but  natural  under  a  . 
ward  form  of  government,  and  greatly  hinder  even  an  efficient  ( 
street  department.  v^Jj 

A  complete  engineering  survey  should  enable  a  work  program 
for  each  year  to  be  mapped  out  several  years  in  advance.  A  defi- 
nite work  program  should  be  mapped  out  at  least  at  the  beginning 
of  the  season,  authorized  by  the  council  and  strictly  adhered  to 
by  the  construction  department.  Each  job  should  be  taken  up 
in  regular  sequence  as  it  appears  on  the  work  program,  and  fin- 
ished before  other  jobs  are  started.  No  job  should  be  under- 
taken unless  there  is  sufficient  appropriation  to  complete  it.  This 
would,  of  course,  demand  that  the  head  of  the  department  refuse 
all  requests  of  council  members  and  politicians  to  take  up  work 
except  in  the  sequence  in  which  it  appears  on  the  work  program. 
Efficient  results  are  impossible  in  this  department  so  long  as 
political  interference  is  tolerated. 

Inspection  Force  Not  Flexible. 

Inspectors  are  kept  on  the  payrolls  throughout  the  year  al- 
though your  representative  was  informed  that  it  was  "almost 
impossible  to  find  work  of  any  kind  for  them  during  the  winter 
months."  If  instead  of  appropriating  in  the  budget  for  a  definite 
number  of  inspectors  and  also  calling  others  to  be  blanketed 
under  lump  sum  appropriations  a  definite  number  of  months  of 
inspection  were  provided  at  a  specified  rate  per  month  for  work 
which  is  seasonal,  the  number  of  men  might  be  adjusted  during 
the  year  to  conform  to  the  work  in  hand. 

If  foremen  and  inspectors  were  called  together  by  the  heads 
of  the  street  and  sewer  bureau  from  time  to  time  and  instructed 
in  the  methods  they  are  to  follow  in  their  work  and  rules  to  be 
observed  it  would  tend  to  develop  a  better  esprit  de  corps  and 
better  work. 

County  Convicts  More  Efficient. 

Both  county  and  city  convict  gangs  were  observed  at  work 
upon  the  streets.  We  noted  that  the  former  worked  more  rap- 
idly than  the  latter. 

Which  is  Cheaper  Method  of  Ditching? 

Practically  all  of  the  ditching  for  sewer  purposes  is  done  by 


26 

contract.  Another  department — the  waterworks — does  all  of  its 
ditching  by  departmental  labor.  Since  one  of  these  methods  is 
undoubtedly  cheaper  than  the  other,  that  method  should  be 
adopted  by  both  departments.  If  the  waterworks  for  any  reason 
can  do  ditching  cheaper  than  the  construction  department  it 
would  probably  pay  the  latter  to  arrange  with  them  to  do  its 
ditching  and  charge  the  costs  against  the  appropriations  for  the 
construction  department. 

Dirt  Not  Replaced  on  Streets. 

Due  to  the  uneven  topography  of  the  city  rain  causes  unpaved 
streets  to  become  furrowed  and  gutted.  It  was  stated  by  reliable 
authority  that  the  dirt  thus  washed  down  the  slopes  and  also 
dirt  removed  where  grades  are  being  changed  is  frequently 
dumped  on  private  property  to  help  bring  it  to  grade  level.  A 
better  way  would  be  to  place  it  on  the  nearest  unpaved  public 
streets  which  need  it. 

Waste  of  Team  and  Convict  Labor. 

The  department  stable  is  located  at  the  city  prison  at  the  ex- 
treme edge  of  town,  which  causes  the  loss  of  an  hour  and  a  half 
to  two  hours  twice  a  day  in  getting  the  teams  and  convicts  to 
places  of  work  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  city.  Not  only  are 
the  teams  somewhat  tired  when  they  begin  work  but  in  cold 
weather,  as  your  representative  was  informed,  the  convicts  being 
covered  with  perspiration  when  they  quit  work  in  the  evening, 
catch  cold  during  the  long  ride  across  the  city  in  open  wagons 
and  contract  sickness.  The  loss  of  efficiency  of  teams  and  men 
is  of  course  supplemental  to  the  loss  of  from  three  to  four  hours 
of  working  time  each  day.  It  would  be  practical  economy  there- 
fore if  facilities  were  obtained  for  keeping  part  of  the  teams 
and  wagons  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  city  at  least  during  the 
constructing  season.  As  long  as  convict  labor  is  continued  ar- 
rangements should  be  made  with  the  local  traction  company  to 
furnish  cars  for  transporting  convicts  from  the  prison  to  points 
near  the  places  of  work. 

Sewer  Specifications  Indefinite. 

The  present  system  of  requiring  contractors  to  bid  on  sewer 
construction  work  without  knowing  the  streets  where  the  work 
is  to  be  done  is  not  fair  to  either  the  city  or  the  contractor.  Bids 
should  not  be  requested  until  work  has  been  authorized  and  pro- 
files and  plans  completed  for  each  street  where  work  is  to  be 
done.    We  were  informed  that  this  would  be  done  next  year. 

Changes  of  Grade  Should  Await  City  Planning. 

The  city,  through  this  department,  is  following  a  policy  of 


27 

changing  many  street  grades.  Before  approving  plans  for  fur- 
ther changes  of  this  character  it  would  be  wise  to  await  the  de- 
velopment of  the  plans  of  the  newly  created  Atlanta  city  planning 
commission.  No  grades  should  be  changed  hereafter  without 
the  approval  of  that  commission  because  only  in  that  way  can 
all  public  projects  co-ordinate  in  the  development  and  beautifi- 
cation  of  the  city. 

OFFICE  METHODS. 

Need  for  Unit  Costs. 

While  unit  costs  are  available  on  contract  work,  because  most 
contracts  are  let  on  a  unit  basis,  no  such  costs  have  been  kept 
on  new  work  done  by  departmental  labor,  nor  have  unit  costs 
been  kept  showing  the  annual  cost  per  square  yard  for  repairing 
each  kind  of  pavement.  The  average  amount  which  it  will  be 
necessary  to  expend  annually  for  the  up-keep  of  each  kind  of 
pavement  should  be  currently  available  to  the  engineers  when 
they  are  planning  the  construction  of  new  pavements,  because 
the  cost  of  the  pavement  relates  not  to  the  original  cost  alone, 
but  to  the  original  cost  spread  over  a  period  of  years,  say  ten 
years,  plus  the  average  annual  cost  of  up-keep.  The  sooner  the 
department  begins  to  compile  such  unit  costs  the  better,  because 
they  become  more  valuable  from  year  to  year.  Daily  time  re- 
ports are  now  obtained  from  inspectors.  For  this  the  depart- 
ment is  deserving  of  credit.  The  present  bookkeeper  has  also 
endeavored  to  use  them  as  a  basis  for  costs.  He  has  not  devel- 
oped his  records  logically,  however,  although  he  gives  the  im- 
pression of  being  capable  and  willing  to  learn. 

Need  for  Annual  Reports. 

The  unit  costs  of  constructing  and  maintaining  each  kind  of 
pavement  should  not  only  be  compiled  currently  by  streets  but 
should  be  published  in  an  annual  report  for  the  information  of 
civic  bodies,  newspapers  and  citizens  generally.  Such  reports 
should  also  include  tables  showing  the  extent  and  cost  of  all  pub- 
lic improvements  each  year  for  a  period  of  years,  classified  to 
show  kinds  of  pavement,  sewers,  etc.  The  nearest  approach  to 
the  issuance  of  an  annual  report  for  several  years  has  been  the 
preparation  of  a  typewritten  copy  of  work  done  during  the  year, 
and  the  submittal  of  this  typewritten  matter  to  the  council,  by 
which  it  has  been  referred  to  the  city  clerk  and  filed.  Enough 
money  is  wasted  in  the  publication  of  almost  any  one  of  the 
annual  reports  of  the  other  city  departments  to  pay  for  pub- 
lishing an  annual  report  of  the  construction  department. 


28 

Following  Up  Complaints. 

The  stenographer  to  the  chief  of  construction  who  occupies 
the  room  at  the  entrance  to  the  department,  should  act  as  com- 
plaint clerk.  He  should  open  all  mail  upon  its  arrival,  flatten 
out  the  letters,  time  stamp  them,  indicate  thereon  the  word 
"streets"  or  "sewers"  according  to  the  bureau  to  which  the  com- 
plaint relates,  fasten  each  of  the  two  groups  of  letters  in  a  bind- 
ing clasp,  enter  in  a  tickler  (bound  book) ,  the  name  the  the  person 
making  complaint  and  place  them  on  the  desks  of  the  superin- 
tendent of  streets  and  the  superintendent  of  sewers.  This  book 
should  contain  one  section  for  streets,  and  another  for  sewers 
and  the  day  and  date  be  entered  as  center  captions  each  morning. 

In  answering  letters  of  complaint  it  is  not  sufficient  to  state 
merely  that  the  "letter  has  been  received  and  the  matter  will  be 
attended  to."  At  the  time  answers  are  dictated,  the  original  let- 
ter of  complaint  should  be  given  to  the  stenographer  so  that  he 
may  file  it  with  the  carbon  copy  of  the  reply  and  indicate  in  the 
tickler  the  date  of  reply.  The  chief  of  construction  at  least  once 
a  week  should  examine  the  tickler  so  that  he  may  note  from  the 
dates  of  the  open  items  therein  whether  complaints  are  receiving 
prompt  attention.  (Note  that  4x5  inch  cards  may  be  used  in  lieu 
of  the  tickler  book.  If  cards  are  used,  they  should  be  removed 
from  the  active  file  to  a  "dead"  file  as  the  complaints  are  at- 
tended to.) 

All  mail  should  be  delivered  directly  to  the  complaint  clerk 
through  the  door  nearest  the  f  roiit  of  the  building. 

Telephone  and  Call  System. 

The  telephones  in  the  main  office  are  most  inconveniently  lo- 
cated being  placed  at  a  distance  from  any  desks.  It  is  not  the 
particular  duty  of  any  one  to  answer  telephone  calls  but  some 
one  always  gets  up  and  crosses  the  room  for  that  purpose.  The 
phones  in  this  room  should  be  placed  on  swinging  arms  attached 
to  the  wall  between  two  desks,  and  it  should  be  the  particular 
duty  of  the  employe^at  one  of  these  desks  to  answer  all  calls  and, 
in  his  absence,  of  the  employe  at  the  adjoining  desk.  A  similar 
arrangement  should  be  made  for  the  rear  room.  Both  of  these 
rooms  should  be  provided  with  call  bells  from  the  office  of  the 
head  of  the  department  (chief  of  construction)  and  a  system  of 
signals  agreed  upon  for  the  purpose  of  summoning  the  different 
employes  to  the  front  office.  At  the  present  time,  the  head  of  the 
department  must  leave  his  work  and  go  the  length  of  the  build- 
ing when  he  desires  to  confer  with  his  subordinates  in  the  rear 
room. 

Too  Much  Interruption. 

There  is  much  interruption  to  the  work  of  the  office  by  reason 


29 

of  the  public  being  permitted  to  circulate  among  the  desks.  This 
may  be  easily  remedied  by  placing  a  secret  catch-lock  on  the 
swinging  gate  in  the  center  room.  Those  having  business  with 
the  office  staff  would  then  transact  their  business  over  the  low 
fence  which  is  now  provided  there.  Those  having  business  with 
the  department  should  first  give  an  indication  of  the  nature  of 
such  business  to  the  complaint  clerk  so  that  if  it  relates  to  the 
work  of  the  staff  room,  the  visitor  may  be  directed  there  and  not 
interrupt  unnecessarily  the  chief  of  construction.  Such  arrange- 
ment would  also  tend  to  discourage  those  persons  who  seem  to 
have  acquired  a  habit  of  drifting  into  the  front  office  and  seating 
themselves  for  a  social  smoke  and  visit. 

Better  Filing  Needed. 

All  correspondence  in  this  department  is  filed  in  flat  files,  which 
is  commendable.  There  is  not,  however,  an  adequate  subject 
classification  thereof.  Letters  relating  to  many  different  sub- 
jects are  badly  bungled,  and  are  not  indexed.  A  more  detailed 
classification  should  be  worked  out  and  all.  letters,  before  being 
filed  under  such  subjects,  should  be  entered  on  4x5  inch  index 
cards,  showing  the  name  of  the  person  writing  the  letter  to  the 
department,  or  to  whom  a  letter  is  written  by  the  department 
and  the  index  code  thereof. 

Large  numbers  of  blue  prints  and  other  plans  are  kept  in  the 
department  but  are  not  yet  adequately  indexed.  The  new  vault 
is  equipped  for  the  storage  of  these  plans  and  for  purposes  of 
safety  they  should  be  placed  therein  as  soon  as  possible — first 
indexing  them  carefully.  This  latter  work  might  justify  the 
employment  of  a  special  clerk  for  two  or  three  months.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  a  couple  of  the  department's  inspectors 
possess  sufficient  knowledge  to  do  it  or  at  least  assist  on  it  and 
they  might  thus  be  assigned  during  the  winter  months. 


METHODS  OF  FINANCING. 

Should  Build  Pavements  from  Bond  Issue. 

The  city's  share  of  the  cost  of  both  original  pavements  and 
replaced  pavements  is  paid  out  of  the  tax  budget.  The  area  of 
new  pavements  laid  each  year  varies  according  to  the  margin 
which  the  tax  budget  will  stand  after  providing  for  the  contin- 
uation of  the  city's  other  functions  and  activities.  Since  pave- 
ments shoud  have  an  average  life  of  at  least  ten  years,  it  would 
be  more  equitable  to  distribute  the  city's  share  of  the  costs  of 
such  pavements  over  a  period  of  years  co-ordinate  with  the  life 
of  the  pavements,  instead  of  including  the  entire  amount  as  a 
charge  against  the  budget  of  the  year  in  which  the  pavement 


80 

is  constructed.  This  principle  is  recognized  to  a  certain  extent 
by  allowing  abutting  property  holders  three  years  in  which  to 
pay  their  proportion  of  the  assessment.  (Several  cities  permit 
such  assessments  to  be  paid  in  ten  yearly  installments.)  The 
city's  share  of  the  cost  of  durable  pavements  might  well  be  paid 
from  the  proceeds  of  bond  issues,  such  bonds  to  be  known  as 
"street  improvement  bonds,"  and  issued  in  serial  form  for  a 
period  of  ten  years. 

The  real  estate  history  of  Atlanta  shows  that  land  values  rise 
rapidly  as  soon  as  pavements  are  laid.  The  increased  valuations 
thus  added  to  the  tax  rolls  each  year  under  a  bonding  plan  would 
bring  in  revenues  far  in  excess  of  the  interest  charge  on  the 
bonds.  It  is  of  course  contemplated  that  bonds  would  be  issued 
only  for  what  are  recognized  as  "durable"  pavements.  Macadam, 
tar  macadam,  etc.,  are  not  included  in  this  class. 

Should  Make  Repairs  Promptly. 

"^  The  old  adage  a  "stitch  in  time"  is  particularly  apt  when  ap- 
plied to  street  pavements.  A  rut  or  hole  in  a  pavement  if  re- 
paired when  it  first  appears,  takes  but  little  time  and  may  be 
done  at  a  minimum  cost;  if  such  holes  are  allowed  to  remain, 
however,  vehicles  continually  drop  into  them,  and  not  only  en- 
large the  hole  each  day  but  rebounding,  strike  the  pavement  be- 
yond with  such  impact  as  to  start  a  second  depression  and  thus 
a  series  of  depressions  result  which  become  very  expensive  to 
repair.  Good  economy  therefore  demands  that  a  sufficient  appro- 
priation be  made  available  each  year  to  repair  breaks  in  pave- 
ment at  once  they  appear. 

Depletion  of  Appropriation  for  Asphalt  Repairs. 

The  appropriation  for  repairing  asphalt  pavements  is  consid- 
erably depleted  each  year  by  repairs  made  for  street  railways 
between  their  tracks.  Although  the  cost  thereof  is  reimbursed 
to  the  city  it  is  not  allowed  to  be  credited  to  the  asphalt  repair 
account,  and  the  amount  available  for  regular  asphalt  repairs  is 
therefore  greatly  reduced.  This  condition  should  be  remedied 
by  authority  of  council  at  an  early  date. 

Should  be  a  Capital  Account. 

The  appropriation  for  construction  of  lateral  sewers  each  year 
is  mostly  reimbursed  by  collection  of  assessments  from  abutting 
property  owners.  It  might  therefore  be  used  as  a  capital  account 
and  several  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  work  be  done 
with  an  appropriation  of  but  one  or  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
Instead,  however,  the  construction  of  lateral  sewers  has  hereto- 
fore   been    limited    by  the    amount  of    the  appropriations    re- 


81 

gardless  of  the  fact  that   practically  all  of  it  is  reimbursed  and 
does  not  affect  the  tax  rate. 


METHOD  OF  SELECTING  PAVEMENTS. 

Factors  to  be  Considered. 

The  factors  which  should  be  carefully  considered  before  deter- 
mining upon  the  kind  of  pavement  to  be  laid  upon  a  particular 
street,  include: 

1.  Conditions  to  which  the  pavement  will  be  subjected: 

a.  Volume  of  traffic. 

b.  Kind  of  traffic. 

c.  Slope  or  grade  of  street. 

d.  Character  of  district  (manufacturing,  residential,  etc.). 

e.  Presence  of  car  tracks. 

2.  Qualities  of  pavements : 

a.  Durability. 

b.  Smoothness. 

c.  Noiselessness. 

d.  Slipperiness. 

e.  Sanitary  qualities. 

f.  Cost. 

All  of  the  above  factors  should  be  carefully  considered  by  the 
official  charged  with  the  construction  of  a  pavement  upon  each 
particular  street.  While  it  is  desirable  that,  before  finally  deter- 
mining upon  the  kind  of  pavement  to  be  laid  thereon,  public 
hearing  should  be  held  at  which  citizens  having  interest  therein 
should  be  given  an  opportunity  to  be  heard,  the  leaving  of  deter- 
mination of  such  matters  to  lay  citizens  is  of  doubtful  value,  even 
though  it  may  mean  the  gain  or  loss  of  votes  to  a  public  official. 
The  construction  of  a  pavement  is  a  scientific  problem,  and 
should  be  solved  in  a  scientific  manner.  Atlanta's  streets  do  not  / 
give  evidence  that  this  has  always  been  done.  The  city  is  a  ver- 
itable checkerboard  of  different  kinds  of  pavements.  There  is 
much  commercial  value  in  good  pavements.  Larger  loads  can 
be  drawn,  by  the  same  power,  over  a  hard  and  smooth  pavement 
than  over  a  rough  one.  Pavements  which  reduce  noise  to  a 
minimum  tend  to  increase  the  value  of  property,  particularly 
in  residence  districts.  Since  street  dust  is  now  recognized  as  a 
menace  to  health,  every  effort  should  be  made  to  build  pavements 
from  which  the  least  amount  of  dust  will  rise  and  which  are 
easily  cleaned.  Atlanta  has  constructed  a  considerable  mileage 
of  pavements  which  are  continually  disintegrating  and  filling  the 
air  with  dust.  Pavements  which  become  slippery  in  wet  weather 
should  not  be  used  on  grades. 


82 

The  kind  of  pavement  also  has  a  direct  bearing  on  the  cost  of 
cleaning.  A  pavement  may  be  constructed  at  a  low  cost  but  the 
additional  cost  of  cleaning  that  particular  kind  of  pavement  may, 
in  two  or  three  years  bring  the  total  cost  to  an  amount  far  in 
excess  of  the  total  cost  of  constructing  a  more  expensive  pave- 
ment, but  one  which  is  more  cheaply  cleaned.  The  same  principle 
is  true  with  respect  to  the  annual  cost  of  keeping  the  different 
kinds  of  pavements  in  repair.  (For  this  reason  this  report  em- 
phasizes the  necessity  of  keeping  unit  costs  on  a  square  yard 
basis  for  repairing  each  kind  of  pavement  each  year  and  also 
the  unit  cost  per  square  yard  for  cleaning  each  kind  of  pavement 
each  year.) 

How  Thousands  of  Dollars  May  Be  Saved. 

Thousands  of  dollars  may  be  saved  to  the  city  each  year  by 
designing  pavements  according  to  the  stress  which  they  are  to 
bear.  Heretofore  in  Atlanta,  as  in  most  other  cities,  pavements 
have  beenlaid  of  uniform  thickness  on  all  streets  alike,  regard- 
less of  the  volume  of  traffic  thereon.  Pavements  in  the  business 
portion  of  the  city,  on  that  portion  of  outlying  streets  alongside 
of  street  car  tracks,  and  on  streets  which  are  the  main  arteries 
of  entry  into  the  city  are  all  subject  to  heavy  and  constant 
stresses  and  should  be  designed  to  meet  that  condition.  On  resi- 
dence streets,  however,  where  there  may  be  an  occasional  coal 
wagon  or  other  truck,  but  where  the  volume  of  traffic  is  other- 
wise light  and  intermittent,  the  stress  is  very  much  less  and 
with  the  possible  exception  of  sheet  asphalt  a  thinner  pavement 
will  therefore  meet  the  conditions  equally  well,  equally  long,  and 
may  be  laid  at  very  much  less  cost. 

Should  Have  Parallel  Streets. 

The  wear  on  pavements  on  the  principal  streets  leading  into 
and  out  of  the  city  as  well  as  the  congestion  thereon,  particularly 
if  the  traffic  is  crowded  to  either  side  by  reason  of  street  car 
tracks,  may  be  very  much  lightened  by  paving  streets  parallel, 
thereto,  and  thus  diverting  some  of  the  traffic  to  such  street. 

To  Eliminate  Steps  at  Crossings. 

A  feature  which  is  becoming  popular  in  a  number  of  cities  con- 
sists in  bringing  the  pavement  up  to  the  curb  at  cross  streets. 
This  has  special  advantages  in  the  downtown  business  section. 

Specifications  Should  Be  Approved  by  Specialists. 

No  special  examination  of  the  provisions  of  the  present  specifi- 
cations was  made  in  this  survey.  It  is  recommended  that  all 
specifications  for  pavements  to  be  laid  in  Atlanta,  be  reviewed  by 


83 

pavement  specialists.  The  establishment  of  a  city  testing  labora- 
tory should  prove  of  great  value  in  testing  paving  materials  to 
determine  whether  or  not  they  comply  with  specifications. 


PARK  DEPARTMENT. 

Atlanta  is  fortunate  in  possessing  parks  of  unusual  natural 
advantages.  They  may  be  developed  into  places  of  great  beauty 
and  usefulness  at  a  cost  per  acre  much  less  than  the  cost  to  many 
other  cities  of  park  development.  Well  planned  parks  and  con- 
necting boulevards  and  well  located  and  equipped  playgrounds 
are  an  asset  of  almost  unlimited  value  to  a  city  and  yet  Atlanta 
has  only  made  a  beginning  in  this  direction. 

The  city  is  fortunate  also  in  having  an  efficient  general  man- 
ager of  its  parks.  Both  he  and  his  cause  are  worthy  of  better 
financial  and  moral  support  in  the  development  of  a  real  park 
system.  A  park  board  is  unnecessary  and  there  is  evidence  that 
it  has  retarded  park  development. 

Privileges  Granted  for  Too  Long  a  Time. 

The  privileges  in  Grant  and  Piedmont  Parks  were  let  by  the 
board  in  1910,  after  insufficient  advertising,  to  a  local  politician 
for  a  five  year  period,  the  former  being  for  $1,650  and  the  latter 
$350.  As  compensation  to  the  concessionaire  for  erecting  a  field 
house,  another  year  was  granted  him,  making  a  six  year  con- 
tract. Inasmuch  as  no  one  can  foresee  the  value  of  park  priv- 
ileges for  more  than  a  couple  of  years  in  advance  this  contract 
should  have  been  limited  to  a  lesser  term  of  years. 

Insufficient  Lighting  and  Policing. 

Piedmont  Park  is  not  policed  or  lighted  at  night  and  Grant 
Park  has  only  one  policeman  at  night  and  is  poorly  lighted.  It 
is  suggested  that  such  conditions  are  not  conducive  to  the  good 
of  the  community  and  should  be  remedied,  particularly  during 
the  warm  months.  Moreover,  the  police  assigned  to  park  duty 
in  the  day  time  are  members  of  the  city  force  who  are{physically 
incompetent  to  serve  on  street  dutyfev  As  parks  are  often  fre- 
quented by  gangs  of  toughs,  policemen  should  be  assigned  there 
who  are  able  to  cope  with  the  situation. 

No  Park  for  Negroes. 

The  city  is  surely  deserving  of  criticism  for  having  made  no 
provision  for  park  facilities  for  its  large  colored  population  which 
perhaps  needs  park  advantages  more  than  the  other  classes. 


84 

Suggested  Revenues  for  Road  Building. 

The  park  department  has  no  appropriation  for  building  or  main- 
V  taining  roads,  and  is  compelled  to  rely  upon  the  construction  de- 
\  partment.  £tFnder  the  present  ward  system  the  demand  for  work 
by  the  latter  department  is  always  on  streets  in  particular  wards 
and  the  park  department  receives  very  little  benefit  from  this 
source^  Park  roads  in  other  cities  are  used  almost  exclusively  by 
automobiles.  There  is  a  large  and  rapidly  increasing  number 
of  automobiles  in  Atlanta.  They  have  not  used  the  local  park 
roads  much  thus  far  because  the  roads  are  in  such  bad  condition. 
Serious  consideration  might  well  be  given  by  the  council  to  a 
plan  of  charging  a  special  automobile  license  tax,  as  is  done  in 
some  cities.  The  proceeds  of  such  a  tax,  varying  from  say  ten 
to  twenty-five  dollars  a  year,  might  be  set  aside  for  building  park 
roads,  and  later  connecting  boulevards. 

Other  Conditions  Needing  Attention. 

The  department  has  two  stables  but  no  repair  shop.  Horses 
are  shod  and  repairs  made  at  private  shops  at  regular  prices. 
It  seems  probable  that  the  horseshoeing  and  repair  work  of  this 
department  might  be  done  by  the  mechanics  already  employed 
in  the  shops  of  some  of  the  other  cityjiepartments. 

We  were  informed  that  this  year[the  department  harvested 
twice  as  much  hay  as  it  can  use  but  that  other  city  departments 
prefer  to  buy  hay  from  private  dealers]  The  statement  was  also 
made  thaCthe  department  might  have  put  up  twice  as  much  hay 
as  it  did  if  the  city  would  use  it.  This  condition  is  particularly 
important  because  of  the  extremely  high  price  of  hay  this  year. 

In  addition  to  wooded  tracts  in  parks  there  are  thousands  of 
trees  in  the  city's  streets.  They  all  need  the  attention  of  the 
park  department  from  time  to  time  and  yet  no  equipment  for 
spraying  or  moving  trees  has  been  provided. 

As  in  other  departments  nothing  has  been  done  in  compiling 
unit  costs  of  work  done. 


^  )  A  Report  Every  One  Should  Read. 


The  annual  report  of  the  general  manager  of  this  department 
for  1911  should  be  read  by  every  citizen  of  Atlanta.  It  is  not 
only  replete  with  information  of  the  year's  activities  but  is  full 
of  sound  constructive  suggestions.  It  is  the  best  annual  report 
issued  by  any  of  the  city  departments  for  1911.  The  following 
paragraphs  are  taken  at  random  and  included  here  to  aid  in 
bringing  these  matters  to  the  public  attention: 

"There  is  not  a  single  park,  not  a  swimming  pool,  not  a  recre- 
ation center,  not  a  free  shower  bath,  not  a  single  place  of 
free,  wholesome  amusement  that  I  know  of,  outside  of  their 


85 

churches,  for  the  negroes  of  Atlanta.  Every  human  being 
will  have  amusement  at  any  cost.  We  seem  unable  to  exist 
without  it.  If  a  negro  of  Atlanta,  man  or  woman,  starts 
out  in  search  of  free  amusement  the  only  place  it  can  be 
found  (except  for  the  churches  as  I  said)  is  in  a  dive,  a 
dance  hall,  a  saloon  or  a  pool  room.  It  is  true  they  can  visit 
the  city  parks,  but  they  understand  very  clearly  that  they 
are  in  the  parks  of  the  white  citizens  merely  by  sufferance, 
and  that  they  are  not  wanted.  I  have  known  the  negro  race 
all  my  life,  and  I  know  as  you  know  that  the  negro  will  not 
go  where  he  is  not  wanted.  For  that  reason  you  will  very 
rarely  find  him  in  the  city  parks.  If  the  city  will  open  a 
park  for  negroes,  conveniently  located,  will  equip  it  with 
free  baths,  a  swimming  pool,  a  lecture  hall,  a  playground 
feature,  and  will  engage  the  local  colored  band  to  furnish 
free  concerts,  the  places  of  vice  for  negroes  will  have  to 
close  their  doors  for  want  of  patrons,  and  the  effects  will  be 
noted  immediately  upon  the  records  of  the  police  depart- 
ment and  in  the  homes  of  the  white  citizens  of  Atlanta/L, 

"A  new  shelter  house  and  public  comfort  station  is  very  badly 
needed  in  the  north  end  of  Grant  Park  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  baseball  players,  the  playground  children,  the 
tennis  players  and  the  visitors  who  are  attracted  by  these 
features.  You  must  remember  that  not  until  last  year  was 
the  north  end  of  the  park  visited  by  large  crowds.  Now 
that  we  have  made  it  attractive  to  visitors  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  provide  for  their  health  and  comfort." 

"The  lighting  system  of  Grant  Park  ought  to  be  changed.  At 
present  we  are  paying  three  separate  contract  minimums 
to  the  Georgia  Railway  &  Electric  Company,  one  for  the 
men's  public  comfort,  one  for  the  band  stand  and  women's 
building  and  one  for  the  concrete  pavilion.  We  are  also 
burning  twelve  arc  lights  and  a  number  of  series  lights  all 
night  long.  We  need  more  lights  during  the  early  part  of 
the  night  and  very  few  from  midnight  until  daylight." 

"No  feature  of  the  Park  Department's  work  last  year  was  so 
popular  with  the  people  as  the  swimming  pool  in  the  lake 
at  Piedmont  Park.  This  enjoyable  and  healthful  attrac- 
tion should  be  given  to  other  sections  of  the  city.  A  swim- 
ming pool  could  easily  be  constructed  in  Joyner  Park  at 
nominal  cost.  The  waterworks  department  shop  is  located 
within  100  yards  of  the  park,  and  in  the  shop  enough  water 
is  used  in  testing  meters  to  supply  the  pool.  A  swimming 
pool  should  be  constructed  at  once  at  Grant  Park.  My 
suggestion  is  that  the  lake  already  there  be  utilized  for  the 
purpose.  At  a  very  small  cost  it  could  be  made  ready  for  the 
bathers.  These  two  swimming  pools  would  not  only  relieve 
the  congestion  in  the  Piedmont  Park  lake,  but  would  give 


86 

three  swimming  places  in  three  widely  separated  parts  of 
the  city." 

POLICE  DEPARTMENT. 

Police  Board  Unnecessary. 

A  study  has  been  made  of  the  powers  of  the  police  board  as 
set  forth  in  the  code,  the  official  minutes  of  the  board  have  been 
examined  and  many  questions  have  been  asked  relative  to  its 
operations.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  board  is  not  only 
unnecessary  but  tends  to  retard  efficiency  in  this  department. 
It  is  the  duty  of  the  chief  of  police  to  enforce  the  statutes  and 
ordinances  relating  to  his  department.  The  laws  are  plainly 
written  and  no  board  is  needed  to  interpret  them.  On  the  con- 
trary the  board  not  being  readily  amenable  to  public  demand 
may  actually  retard  enforcement  of  the  law.  For  example,  the 
police  board  never  formally  directed  the  closing  of  Atlanta's 
segregated  district  although  the  sentiment  of  the  community 
undoubtedly  desired  it.  The  chief  finally  acted  on  his  own  in- 
itiative. It  is  fortunate  that  the  office  of  chief  of  police  has  a 
form  of  civil  service  protection.  It  would  be  better  were  there 
a  regularly  constituted  civil  service. 

More  Station  Houses  Needed. 

Although  the  city  now  covers  an  area  of  over  25  square  miles 
there  is  only  one  station  house.  This  not  only  causes  a  consid- 
erable loss  of  time  on  the  part  of  men  coming  and  going  from 
their  beats  in  the  outlying  districts,  but  causes  a  congestion  of 
patrolmen  in  the  central  station  when  men  are  assembled  there 
prior  to  going  on  duty.  The  city  has  now  reached  a  growth 
where  at  least  two  additional  station  houses  should  be  estab- 
lished. When  this  is  done  careful  consideration  should  be  given 
to  a  plan  for  combining  them  with  fire  engine  houses,  and  also 
providing  room  therein  for  branches  of  the  health  department. 

Select  Patrolmen  More  Carefully. 

Patrolmen  are  appointed  only  after  having  passed  a  physical 
and  mental  examination,  the  former  being  conducted  by  the 
city  physician,  and  the  latter,  which  is  written,  by  a  committee 
of  three  appointed  by  the  police  board.  At  one  time  the  exam- 
iners comprised  principals  of  the  local  schools  but  the  last  ex- 
amination was  conducted  by  the  secretary  and  two  newspaper 
reporters  assigned  to  police  news.  The  kind  of  men  appointed 
by  the  police  force  of  a  city  is  a  matter  deserving  of  most  care- 
ful consideration.  It  is  one  in  which  a  permanent  civil  service 
commission  might  be  of  great  help. 


37 

Present  Restriction  on  Appointment  of  Detectives. 

Section  2003  of  the  municipal  code  provides  that  "detectives 
shall  be  elected  from  the  force  of  patrolmen  and  supernumer- 
aries." This  restriction  might  well  be  modified  because  it  pre- 
vents the  appointment  as  detectives  of  men  who  while  posses- 
sing great  ability  as  detectives  might  not  be  able  to  qualify  as 
patrolmen. 

Inadequate  Reports  and  Records. 

Each  detective  is  required  to  make  a  daily  written  report  to 
the  chief  of  the  detective  bureau  who  summarizes  them  and, 
together  with  his  own  report,  submits  them  to  the  chief  of  police. 
Reports  for  four  or  five  days  are  sometimes  received  at  one 
time.  The  value  of  reports  under  such  conditions  is  largely 
lost. 

No  efficiency  records  are  kept  of  detectives'  work  other  than 
the  daily  reports  which  are  filed  although  sections  1995-1996  of 
the  code  directs  that  efficiency  records  shall  be  kept  of  all  per-  \j 
sons  in  the  department.  Detectives  work  in  pairs,  a  poor  man 
usually  being  assigned  with  a  better  man.  Care  must  hence  be 
exercised  when  efficiency  ratings  are  begun  lest  both  men  receive 
the  same  marks.  Records  showing  the  number  and  kind  of  as- 
signments to  individual  detectives,  the  results  obtained,  length 
of  time  consumed,  etc.,  should  be  established.  The  chief  stated 
that  he  has  this  under  consideration  and  expects  to  develop  such 
records  soon. 

An  adequate  record  is  maintained  of  the  daily  transactions  of 
pawnshops,  also  of  the  daily  operation  of  the  police  telegraph. 

Letters  of  complaint  and  complaints  received  over  the  phone 
against  disorderly  houses  were  referred  to  the  chief  of  detec-  • — 
tives,  who  assigns  men  to  investigate  such  cases.  No  record  is 
made  of  such  complaints  at  the  time  they  are  received.  The 
chief  stated  that  there  were  not  a  sufficient  number  but  that 
he  could  remember  them,  and  require  reports  from  the  detec- 
tives assigned  thereto.  This  is  no  doubt  true  but  as  the  city 
grows  more  of  such  complaints  will  be  received  especially  from 
residence  districts.  Instead  of  the  chief  being  burdened  with 
carrying  them  in  his  head,  a  system  of  recording  the  receipt 
of  such  letters  and  action  taken  thereon  should  be  adopted. 

Men  Should  be  Better  Informed. 

No  daily  bulletin  is  printed  by  the  department.  Men  wanted 
and  property  wanted,  are  listed  daily  on  a  typewritten  sheet 
which  is  posted  in  the  department  and  also  read  to  the  men  at 
roll  call.    Upon  inquiry  it  seemed  doubtful  whether  the  men  re- 


88 

membered  what  was  read  them.  They  should  be  given  copies  of 
the  daily  sheet  or  interrogated  as  to  their  memory  of  what  has 
been  read  them. 

Revolvers  Redistributed. 

Among  articles  confiscated  are  large  numbers  of  revolvers. 
Together  with  all  lost  and  stolen  goods  which  remain  unclaimed 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time  they  are  advertised  and  sold 
at  auction.  They  are  bought  up  at  comparative  low  prices,  and 
even  if  sold  to  dealers  are  offered  for  sale  at  low  prices  so  that 
they  fall  into  the  hands  of  many  irresponsible  persons  and  thus 
tend  to  increase  rather  than  prevent  crime.  Authority  should 
be  given  the  chief  to  have  all  revolvers  confiscated  taken  to  a 
blacksmith  shop  at  stated  periods  and  in  his  presence  broken  up 
beyond  repair. 

Should  Take  Finger  Prints. 

Photographs  and  Bertillion  measurements  are  made  and  filed. 
The  department  should  also  be  equipped  for  taking  finger  print 
impressions.    It  is  essential  to  good  police  work. 

Record  of  Arrests  not  Available  in  Court. 

A  card  record  is  maintained  in  the  outer  office  which  is  in- 
tended to  show  the  number  of  times  offenders  have  previously 
been  arrested.  It  is  posted  from  the  police  docket  of  arrests. 
The  recorder,  however,  is  not  furnished  with  the  information 
contained  on  these  cards.  In  many  cases  he  of  course  may  re- 
member whether  offenders  brought  before  him  have  been  pre- 
viously arraigned.  Since  it  is  generally  recognized  that  more 
leniency  should  be  shown  to  first  offenders  than  to  "repeaters" 
it  is  suggested  that  when  these  cards  are  posted,  that  those 
showing  the  names  of  previous  offenders  be  separated  out  and 
sent  up  to  the  court,  so  that  the  recorder  may  refer  to  them 
when  the  prisoners  appear  before  him.  This  would  be  done 
at  each  session  (twice  a  day),  the  cards  being  promptly  re- 
turned to  the  files  downstairs. 

Professional  Bondsmen. 

We  were  informed  that  professional  bondsmen  do  not  thrive 
about  the  police  court,  as  in  past  years,  but  that  one  or  two  of 
them  were  still  plying  their  trade. 

TraflSc  Squad  Needs  Improvement. 

The  traffic  squad  does  not  appear  to  be  sufficiently  alert.  Con- 
gestion was  noticed  when  the  officer  simply  stood  and  beckoned 
with  his  arm,  whereas  the  conditions  demanded  that  he  use  his 


39 

voice  also  to  direct  the  traffic.  Traffic  officers  should  be  equipped 
with  whistles  for  the  purpose  of  signalling  the  traffic  when  they 
desire  it  to  stop  or  move  because  drivers  in  the  rear  of  a  line 
can  not  see  the  officer  motion  with  his  arm. 

Entire  Force  "Lacks  the  Punch." 

As  to  the  general  appearance  of  the  entire  force  it  does  not 
appear  "to  have  the  punch'*  or  "snap"  that  a  city  always  ad- 
mires in  police  and  which  is  in  evidence  in  many  other  phases 
of  Atlanta's  activities.  A  setting  up  training  should  be  given 
when  men  join  the  force  and  followed  by  more  encouragement 
to  maintain  a  soldierly  bearing  and  physique.  The  European 
military  cap  now  used  by  the  police  in  the  larger  cities  would 
much  improve  the  appearance  of  Atlanta's  force. 

Should  Improve  Annual  Report. 

The  annual  report  of  the  department  contains  a  great  deal 
which  should  be  omitted  and  omits  much  that  it  should  contain. 
For  example,  in  last  year's  report  (1911)  six  leaves  (not  pages) 
are  devoted  to  photographs  of  the  mayor,  chairman  of  the  board, 
chief  of  police,  assistant  chief,  chief  of  detectives  and  the  secre- 
tary to  chief  of  police.  Three  pages  are  devoted  to  location  of 
signal  boxes  which  no  one  uses  but  the  police  and  the  location 
of  which  they  already  know ;  six  pages  to  listing  the  equipment 
of  the  department  showing  the  number  of  desks,  chairs,  etc.  in 
each  room;  and  fourteen  pages  to  setting  forth  a  roster  of  the 
department.  None  of  the  above  matter  should  have  been 
printed.  Among  the  matters  omitted  and  which  would  be  en- 
lightening to  the  public  may  be  mentioned: 

Growth  of  population  and  number  of  arrests  per  thousand  of 
population  for  the  last  ten  year  period.  Principal  causes  of  ar- 
rests, grouped  under  offenses  against  (1)  chastity,  (2)  public 
policy,  (3)  person  and  (4)  property,  reduced  to  percentages, 
during  the  last  ten  years  (might  be  set  forth  in  graphic  form) . 
Disposition  of  cases,  reduced  to  percentages,  during  the  last  ten 
years.  Number  of  persons  previously  arrested  and  number  of 
times  arrested.  (Shown  also  by  percentages.)  Record  of  com- 
plaints against  members  of  the  department.  Record  of  crime 
by  months  (a  one  line  graphic  chart  wherein  the  line  over  a 
period  of  years  follows  the  month  in  which  there  was  the  most 
crime  would  set  this  feature  out  plainly).  Amount  of  property 
reported  stolen  and  amount  recovered. 

FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 
A  One  Man  Department. 

As  frankly  stated  by  Chief  Cummings  this  is  a  one  man  de- 


40 

partment.  Under  the  present  incumbent  the  plan  appears  to 
work  satisfactorily  but  looking  to  the  future  it  might  easily 
make  for  demoralization  rather  than  efficiency. 

The  chief  is  responsible  to  the  fire  board,  which  consists  of 
seven  members  appointed  by  the  mayor  from  the  city  at  large, 
also  the  mayor  and  fire  chief,  thus  making  nine  members.  The 
value  of  such  a  board  is  not  apparent.  The  chief  may  dismiss 
a  man  when  he  wishes  and  while  the  board  has  power  to  pass  in 
his  dismissal  he  says  it  has  never  done  so.  There  are  no  trials 
of  men  accused.  The  chief  has  power  to  levy  fines  but  there  is 
no  regular  scale  of  fines. 

The  chief  has  absolute  power  of  hiring  and  dismissing  men. 
When  a  man  desires  to  join  the  department  he  signs  a  blank. 
These  blanks  are  placed  on  file,  and  when  a  vacancy  occurs  the 
chief  is  at  liberty  to  appoint  a  man  from  the  top,  bottom  or  mid- 
dle of  the  list. 

Sundry  Conditions. 

Firemen  have  three  hours  a  day  for  meals,  every  sixth  day  of 
twenty-four  hours  and  ten  days  annual  vacation.  This  is  ade- 
quate but  not  excessive.  Sick  lease  is  not  allowed,  although 
when  a  man  is  hurt  in  the  performance  of  duty  he  gets  full  pay. 

Twice  a  year  the  chief  sends  his  officers  from  all  the  com- 
panies through  the  buildings  of  the  downtown  district,  to  famil- 
iarize them  with  conditions.  They  go  in  squads  of  four  on  dif- 
ferent days.     This  is  an  excellent  plan. 

The  chief  has  a  "fire  inspector"  to  prevent  conditions  condu- 
cive to  fires.  He  also  has  charge  of  enforcing  the  ordinances 
relative  to  storage  of  gasoline,  fire  works  and  other  explosives. 
There  is  no  published  report  regarding  the  work  of  this  man  but 
there  should  be. 

The  repair  shop  has  three  mechanics  who  are  also  active  fire- 
men and  respond  to  alarms.  There  are  no  other  mechanics  than 
these  firemen  and  they  have  turned  out  several  wagons,  rebuilt 
engines,  etc. 

Hose  is  bought  on  a  pressure  test  and  time  guarantee.  Seve- 
eral  cities  (Chicago,  Buffalo,  Kansas  City,  etc.)  are  now  buying 
on  specifications  approved  by  the  National  Board  ot  Fire  Un- 
derwriters.    This  plan  is  suggested  for  serious  consideration. 

Horses  are  passed  on  by  the  veterinarian  when  purchased  but 
are  not  bought  on  thirty  day  trial.     This  is  also  suggested. 

There  is  no  book  of  rules  in  the  department,  except  the  rules 
set  forth  in  the  city  code.  The  promulgation  of  a  rule  book 
should  assist  in  maintaining  discipline. 

The  causes  of  fires  are  kept  on  file  in  the  department,  but  are 


41 

not  published  in  the  annual  report,  nor  is  any  instruction  given 
in  the  schools  regarding  it. 

Horseshoeing  is  done  at  two  private  shops,  at  regular  prices. 

No  central  record  is  kept  of  the  time  out  and  in  by  each  com- 
pany, nor  of  the  fires  responded  to  by  each  company.  Reports 
are  submitted  showing  the  Tocation  of  each  fire  but  these  are 
not  compiled  by  companies.  This  should  be  done  and  also  time 
out  and  in  shown  as  a  supplemental  check  on  company  efficiency. 
It  should  also  be  included  in  the  annual  report.  The  1911  re- 
port contained  considerable  useless  matter  such  as  the  depart- 
ment roster,  etc. 

WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

The  organization  of  this  department  is  even  more  incongruous 
than  that  of  most  of  the  other  departments  in  that  besides  the 
usual  board  elected  by  the  council  there  is  a  general  manager 
elected  by  the  people. 

Quarterly  Collections  Sufficient. 

The  entire  city  is  metered.  This  is  to  be  desired  in  every 
city.  Collections  for  water  used  are  made  monthly.  The  annoy- 
ance thus  caused  to  consumers,  the  extra  cost  of  reading  meters 
monthly,  and  additional  clerical  work  involved  all  appear  un- 
necessary. The  reasons  for  frequent  meter  reading  are  (1)  to 
get  the  money  into  the  treasury  when  it  has  been  earned  so  that 
current  expenses  may  be  met  without  borrowing,  (2)  to  discover 
meters  which  may  be  registering  incorrectly  and  (3)  to  dis- 
tribute the  clerical  work  evenly  throughout  the  year.  All  of 
these  conditions  would  be  met  if  meters  were  read  and  collec- 
tions made  quarterly  and  the  objections  noted  would  also  be 
avoided.  The  reading  of  meters  and  clerical  work  might  read- 
ily be  arranged  so  as  to  continue  to  distribute  it  evenly  from 
month  to  month.     Many  cities  collect  only  every  six  months. 

If  a  quarterly  period  were  adopted  a  new  minimum  rate 
should  of  course  be  established.  By  applying  a  minimum  rate 
only  quarterly  instead  of  monthly  the  marginal  amount  now 
gained  on  the  other  two  months  from  small  consumers  would 
be  a  loss  to  the  city  but  a  saving  to  small  consumers.  Efficient 
management  of  public  waterworks  should  endeavor  to  charge 
only  the  cost  of  service  rendered;  not  to  take  any  advantage  of 
the  citizen  to  make  a  profit.  While  a  tax  on  bread  would  be 
quicker  resented  it  would  be  no  worse  than  a  public  tax  on 
water.  Losses  from  tenants  moving  would,  if  properly  attended 
to,  be  confined  to  the  few  cases  when  tenants  move  away  from 
the  city  during  a  quarter  without  giving  notice.     If  they  move 


42 

elsewhere  in  the  city  they  of  course  must  have  water  and  the 
old  account  would  be  transferred  to  the  new  address.  Persons 
moving  away  without  paying  the  amount  due  should  be  black- 
listed so  that  if  they  return  they  may  not  be  served  with  water 
again  until  the  old  account  is  paid. 

Defective  System  of  Billing. 

The  present  accounting  system  while  in  most  respects  highly 
satisfactory  evidently  causes  considerable  confusion  in  permit- 
ting duplicate  payments.  All  water  bills  are  sent  to  consumers. 
The  bill  may  be  forgotten  at  home  and  two  or  more  members  of 
the  family  come  in  separately  and  each  pay  the  amount  due. 
The  excess  is  of  course  subsequently  refunded  but  the  annoy- 
ance caused  the  public  and  the  department  ought  to  be  avoided. 
It  might  be  done  by  retaining  the  original  bill  in  the  office  and 
sending  a  carbon  duplicate  to  the  consumer.  As  persons  pre- 
sented themselves  at  the  department  cash  window  the  clerk 
would  at  once  look  to  see  if  the  original  bill  was  in  his  files.  If 
so,  he  would  detach  a  coupon,  stamp  the  bill  paid  and  give  it 
out  as  a  receipt.  If  the  bill  were  missing  it  would  be  noticed 
that  the  amount  due  had  been  paid. 

General  ledger  controlling  accounts  over  the  customers'  ledgers 
ought  also  to  be  established. 

Should  Check  Up  to  Determine  Leakage. 

The  last  annual  report  (1911)  shows  the  quantity  of  water 
pumped  but  not  the  quantity  used  as  indicated  by  meter  read- 
ings. If  compiled  and  published  this  would  be  a  valuable  indi- 
cation of  the  underground  water  loss  from  leakage. 

Might  Lower  Rates. 

Taken  as  a  whole  the  plant  seems  to  be  well  managed.  The 
last  financial  statement  indicates  that  consideration  should  be 
given  to  lowering  the  cost  of  water  to  consumers. 

SANITARY  DEPARTMENT. 

The  main  functions  of  this  department,  which  is  in  reality  a 
division  of  the  health  department,  are  cleaning  streets,  removal 
and  disposal  of  garbage  and  cleaning  sewers  and  catch  basins. 

Dry  Sweeping  not  Successful. 

While  the  smooth  paved  streets  appeared  to  be  kept  compara- 
tively clean  an  intensive  study  of  the  work  methods  should 
enable  the  department  to  secure  a  much  greater  efficiency.  The 
supply  of  receptacles  for  containing  sweepings  are  inadequate 
and  piles  of  dirt  which  the  wind  was  redistributing  on  the  street 
were  observed  in  several  parts  of  the  city.    The  method  of  dry 


4$ 

hand  sweeping  in  the  day  time  is  also  only  partially  successful. 
Much  of  the  dirt  escapes  the  broom  and  remains  on  the  street 
and  much  blows  to  the  sidewalks  where  it  is  again  swept  into 
the  streets.  The  need  of  sprinklers  was  evident.  On  streets 
having  a  disintegrating  pavement  periodical  oiling  would  be  of 
great  help  in  keeping  down  the  dust  which  in  some  sections  of 
the  city  is  very  annoying. 

Might  Utilize  Crematory  Heat. 

The  destruction  of  the  old  crematory  plant  before  providing 
new  facilities  was  badly  advised.  Investigation  should  now  be 
made  to  determine  what  changes  in  construction  would  be  nec- 
essary to  enable  the  plant  to  generate  electric  current.  Also 
the  cost  thereof  compared  with  present  rates. 

Stables  and  Shops. 

The  stables  appear  to  be  well  kept,  a  good  grade  of  forage  is 
being  used,  and  there  was  no  indication  that  it  was  being  wasted. 
As  pointed  out  elsewhere  herein  there  is  need  for  a  reorganiza- 
tion of  all  city  owned  repair  shops  into  a  central  shop.  From 
six  to  ten  mechanics  are  employed  in  the  repair  shop.  Aside 
from  shoeing  mules  they  make  much  new  equipment. 

Lack  of  Needed  Information. 

The  superintendent  of  the  shop  keeps  an  account  with  each 
kind  of  supplies  and  material  received,  and  takes  an  inventory 
at  the  end  of  each  year.  He  does  not,  however,  keep  any  rec- 
ords to  show  the  quantity  or  cost  of  materials  going  into  any 
particular  job — either  repair  work  or  new  construction,  nor  has 
he  any  records  to  show  the  labor  cost  thereon. 

The  department  has  no  record  showing  areas  of  paved  streets^ 
to  be  cleaned,  or  areas  actually  cleaned  each  day ;  nor  have  they 
any  unit  costs  on  street  cleaning  or  garbage  removal.  More- 
over, there  are  no  records  of  even  the  quantity  of  garbage  con- 
sumed in  the  crematory  as  a  basis  for  determining  the  cost  per 
ton  thereof.  No  efficiency  records  are  kept  of  the  work  of  the 
men  assigned  to  flushing  manholes  nor  are  any  records  kept 
showing  the  number  of  catch  basins  cleaned  daily,  much  less 
the  contents  thereof  removed.  If  such  records  were  kept  and 
used  as  a  basis  for  administration  the  cost  of  keeping  them 
should  be  many  times  offset  by  the  increased  efficiency  secured. 
The  present  head  of  the  department  fully  appreciates  the  need 
of  such  records  and  is  desirous  of  installing  them  but  lacks  the 
clerical  assistance. 


44 

INSPECTION  OF  BUILDINGS. 

Should  be  Reorganized. 

The  building  inspector  is  elected  by  the  people.  The  office 
should  be  appointive.  There  are  two  assistants  which  the  in- 
spector himself  appoints.  None  of  the  three  are  graduate  en- 
gineers or  architects,  although  the  ordinances  provide  that  plans 
and  specifications  for  buildings  shall  be  examined  and  approved 
by  this  department  prior  to  construction.  It  is  therefore  prob- 
lematical whether  building  plans  receive  adequate  examination 
under  such  conditions. 

The  suggestion  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  report  that  the 
building  inspector's  duties  be  transferred  as  a  bureau  to  the 
construction  department.  If  this  is  done,  the  inspectors  of  the 
street  and  sewer  bureaus  might,  after  instruction,  be  used  dur- 
ing the  winter  months  to  make  reinspections  of  all  buildings  in 
the  city.  This  is  desirable  from  time  to  time  and  might  just 
as  well  be  done  in  the  winter.  In  fact  the  use  of  construction 
department  inspectors  for  that  purpose  need  not  be  contingent 
on  any  reorganization. 

Defective  Fire  Escape  Ordinance. 

The  wording  of  the  ordinance  relating  to  fire  escapes  is  such 
as  to  leave  its  enforcement  to  the  discretion  of  the  building  in- 
spector. This  condition  needs  remedying.  It  affords  too  much 
opportunity  for  collusion  between  builders  and  the  building  de- 
partment. The  desire  of  those  who  have  some  political  power 
and  who  wish  to  avoid  erecting  fire  escapes  are  liable  to  be  de- 
ferred to  at  the  subsequent  sacrifice  of  life. 

Can  Not  Fix  Responsibility  for  Inspection. 

Although  a  card  system  is  maintained  in  the  office  showing 
the  date  of  each  inspection  made  during  the  construction  of  each 
building,  the  name  of  the  inspector  making  the  inspection  is  not 
shown  thereon,  nor  is  it  ascertainable  from  any  of  the  records 
in  the  office.  It  is  therefore  impossible  to  fix  responsibility  for 
any  lax  inspection.  In  the  event  of  the  collapse  of  a  wall  or  floor 
of  a  building  responsibility  might  easily  be  shifted  from  one  in- 
spector to  another. 

How  Insurance  Premiums  May  be  Reduced. 

We  were  informed  that  the  local  fire  insurance  companies  allow 
a  ten  per  cent,  reduction  of  premiums  on  buildings  for  which  a 
certiffcate  of  approval  has  been  issued  by  the  building  depart- 
ment. The  files  of  the  department  contain  the  records  of  several 
thousand  buildings  the  construction  of  which  has  been  approved 


\ 


45 

by  the  department  but  for  which  no  certificates  have  been  issued. 
It  is  suggested  that  efforts  should  be  made  to  ascertain  the  own- 
ers of  such  buildings  and  a  certificate  issued  or  the  owners  noti- 
fied so  that  they  might  take  advantage  of  the  reduced  insurance 
rates.  The  aggregate  saving  of  insurance  premiums  would  un- 
doubtedly amount  to  a  considerable  sum  and  the  taxpayers  of 
Atlanta  should  have  the  benefit. 


INSPECTION  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES. 

Inadequate  Protection  from  Short  Measures. 

The  citizens  of  Atlanta  are  receiving  inadequate  protection 
from  the  use  of  short  measures.  The  municipal  code  makes  pro- 
vision for  an  inspection  of  weights  but  says  practically  nothing 
about  the  inspection  of  measures.  The  criminal  code  (section 
706)  provides  that  "if  any  person  shall  knowingly  buy  or  sell  by 
false  weights  and  measures  he  shall  be  deemed  a  common  cheat 
and  swindler,  and  shall  be  punished  as  for  a  misdemeanor."  The 
burden  of  compelling  an  officer  to  prove  that  the  violation  was 
knowingly  made  would  necessarily  cause  difficulty  in  securing 
convictions.  Many  instances  were  cited  to  us  where  short  meas-  \ 
ures  were  used,  and  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  the  loss  amounts  ^ 
to  thousands  of  dollars  annually.  Even  though  there  has  been 
a  lack  of  authority  with  respect  to  measures  the  inspector  of 
weights  has  at  different  times  endeavored  to  prevent  peddlers 
from  using  false  measures.  His  report  for  the  month  of  January, 
1912,  taken  at  random  from  the  reports  of  other  months,  shows 
that  of  the  peddlers  whose  measures  were  inspected,  two-thirds 
were  found  short.  There  are  indications  that  short  measures  are 
being  used  by  many  persons  other  than  peddlers. 

Need  for  Records  of  Work  Done. 

A  card  record  was  begun  in  1910  in  the  office  of  the  inspector 
of  weights  to  show  the  dates  when  scales  were  inspected  but  was 
discontinued  in  February,  1911.  There  is  at  present  no  record 
whatever  of  scales  which  have  since  been  inspected.  It  is  sug- 
gested that  a  file  of  4x5  inch  cards  be  installed,  a  separate  card 
being  used  to  record  the  name  of  each  dealer  owning  scales,  that 
these  cards  be  arranged  by  streets  and  street  numbers,  and  that 
the  date  of  each  inspection  be  recorded  thereon,  and  also  condi- 
tions found  and  action  taken.  With  such  a  plan  an  inspector, 
when  starting  on  a  route,  might  take  with  him  all  cards  relating 
to  that  route,  and  note  the  entries  thereon  as  he  made  each 
inspection,  returning  the  cards  to  the  file  at  the  end  of  the  day, 
and  thus  avoiding  the  necessity  of  any  bookkeeping  in  the  office. 


46 

Should  be  Given  Assistance. 

The  present  inspector  of  weights  seems  very  anxious  to  do 
good  work,  but  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  one  man  alone  to  in- 
spect all  of  the  weights  in  Atlanta  sufficiently  often.  It  is  there- 
fore recommended  that  he  be  given  assistance  when  the  next 
budget  is  adopted,  and  that  his  authority  be  increased  to  include 
the  inspection  of  measures.  The  office  is  practically  self-support- 
ing owing  to  the  amount  of  fines  imposed  as  a  result  of  the  in- 
spections, and  would  no  doubt  continue  to  be  self-supporting  with 
a  larger  staff. 

Frequent  Inspection  Desirable. 

A  large  portion  of  the  inspector's  time  is  taken  in  weighing 
coal  and  forage  purchased  for  city  departments.  This  might  bet- 
ter be  done  by  an  inspector  from  the  comptroller's  office  and  thus 
give  the  inspector  of  weights  more  time  to  actually  inspect  scales. 
When  scales  are  inspected  and  found  correct,  or  found  wrong 
and  made  correct,  they  have  not  been  sealed.  This  should  be 
done.  Frequent  inspection  is  necessary,  however,  because  a  seal 
does  not  prevent  tampering  with  a  scale. 

INSPECTION  OF  LICENSES. 

The  license  inspector  (salary  $1,500)  is  appointed  by  the 
mayor.  He  has  one  assistant  (salary  $1,100).  Practically  all 
licenses  are  payable  quarterly.  Just  prior  to  the  expiration  of 
each  quarter  the  inspector  and  his  assistant  deliver  in  person  no- 
tices to  all,  licenses  that  renewal  time  has  arrived.  During  these 
trips  he  notes  any  licensable  businesses  which  have  taken  out  no 
licenses. 

The  office  of  license  inspector  is  unnecessary.  All  notices 
should  be  mailed  out  by  the  city  clerk,  since  the  inspector  is  de- 
pendable for  his  information  on  the  clerk's  records.  The  regular 
police  force  should  be  used  to  locate  those  who  have  no  licenses. 
This  might  be  best  done  by  setting  aside  a  fixed  date  each  quar- 
ter or  each  month  on  which  date  each  officer  would  canvass  his 
entire  beat  and  report  in  writing  the  names  and  addresses  of  all 
those  who  should  have  licenses  but  who  have  none. 

COMPTROLLER'S  OFFICE. 

The  work  accomplished  by  this  office  evidences  a  constant  en- 
deavor by  the  comptroller  and  his  staff  to  adopt  modern  account- 
ing and  business  methods.  The  bookkeeping  is  kept  up  to  date 
and  balanced  with  outside  departments  monthly,  claims  are 
audited  promptly  after  reaching  the  office  and  a  long  step  in  the 
right  direction  has  been  taken  to  secure  full  accounting  control 


47 

over  all  expenditures  and  revenues.    Credit  is  also  due  for  the 
work  done  on  budget  making  and  purchasing. 

The  suggestions  which  follow  are  intended  therefore  not  as 
criticism  of  what  has  been  done  but  rather  as  a  guide  for  contin- 
uing the  constructive  work  so  well  launched. 
Payrolls. 

There  is  no  uniformity  of  payrolls  among  the  different  depart- 
ments, nor  do  any  of  the  payrolls  contain  certificates  as  a  basis 
for  payment.  According  to  a  statement  by  the  comptroller's 
office,  the  only  payroll  which  contains  anything  even  approach- 
ing a  certificate,  is  the  police  payroll.  This,  however,  contains 
only  the  following: 

"Correct. 


Chief  of  Police. 
Approved. 


Chief  Board  Police  Commissioners. 
Approved. 


Chief  Police  Committee." 
A  new  form  of  payroll  should  be  devised  and  made  standard 
for  all  departments.    Careful  attention  should  be  given  not  only 
to  the  ruling  thereof  but  to  the  form  of  certificates  included. 

The  manner  in  which  payrolls  are  certified  and  the  points  cov- 
ered in  the  certificates  constitute  two  of  the  most  important 
features  in  payroll  making.  Every  element  of  information  nec- 
essary to  establish  responsibility  for  the  integrity  of  payrolls 
should  be  covered  and  .certified  to.  Certificates  should  be  signed 
only  by  persons  having  personal  knowledge  of  the  facts.  When 
this  rule  is  observed  it  will  not  be  possible  for  signers  of  certifi- 
cates to  make  the  plea  so  often  resorted  to  under  lax  methods 
of  procedure,  namely,  that  they  could  not  be  expected  to  have 
intimate  knowledge  of  every  point  covered  by  the  certificates. 
The  person  who  prepares  the  payroll  should  certify : 

1.  That  ne  has  in  his  possession  written  evidence  that  each 
person  named  in  the  payroll  was  duly  appointed  and  elected. 

2.  That  there  is  on  file  a  time  record  or  report  duly  certified 
by  persons  having  knowledge  of  the  facts  showing  the  kind 
and  exact  time  of  service  of  each  person,  and  the  further 
fact  that  on  no  day  covered  by  the  payroll  was  the  number 
of  persons  employed  under  each  budget  line  in  excess  of  the 
number  authorized  by  the  line. 

3.  That  the  payroll  is  correct. 

The  person  who  has  knowledge  of  the  accounts  of  the  depart- 
ment should  certify  in  substance: 


18 

1.  That  the  several  amounts  are  proper  charges  against  the 
appropriation  or  fund  accounts  stated. 

2.  That  the  amounts  mentioned  in  the  payroll  will  not  exceed 
the  unencumbered  balances  of  appropriations. 

3.  That  no  part  of  the  payroll  has  been  certified  for  payment 
in  any  previous  payroll. 

The  head  of  the  department  should  certify  in  substance: 

1.  That  the  persons  named  in  the  payroll  were  elected,  ap- 
pointed or  promoted  to  the  positions  named  in  accordance 
with  (civil  service)  law  ana  rules  pertaining  thereto  and 
that  the  salaries  of  positions  have  been  established  in  ac- 
cordance with  charter  provisions. 

2.  That  except  when  granted  leave  of  absence  the  persons 
named  have  been  regularly  employed  in  the  performance  of 
the  appropriate  duties  of  the  positions  indicated  and  have 
at  no  time  during  the  period  covered  by  this  payroll  been 
assigned  to  duties  pertaining  to  any  other  position  except 
as  noted. 

3.  That  the  services  were  necessary  for  the  proper  conduct 
of  the  business  of  the  department. 

4.  That  any  overtime  allowed  was  due  to  an  extraordinary 
emergency  caused  by  fire,  flood  or  danger  to  life  or  property. 

5.  Upon  preceding  certificates  signed  by  persons  designated 
by  him  to  do  so,  the  head  of  the  department  should  certify 
that  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge,  information  and  belief 
the  payroll  is  correct. 

The  payroll  should  then  pass  to  the  comptroller  for  audit  and 
payment.  A  special  form  of  payroll  summary  which  would  also 
serve  as  a  voucher  might  be  adopted  with  advantage.  If  so,  then 
such  of  the  above  certificates  as  duplicate  certificates  on  the 
regular  voucher  form  might  be  modified  or  eliminated. 

Revenue  Control. 

The  comptroller  has  no  accounting  control  over  any  of  tne 
financial  stationery  used  by  the  city,  i.  e.,  licenses,  permits,  etc. 
These  documents  are  ordered  from  the  printer  by  the  city  clerk 
and  delivered  to  him.  Without  implying  the  slightest  shadow 
on  the  present  incumbents  of  the  office  of  city  clerk  and  tax 
collector  the  only  real  business  safeguard  over  such  documents 
is  to  establish  a  ledger  control  thereover  in  the  comptroller's 
office.  This  would,  of  course,  supplement  the  present  plan  of 
daily  schedules. 

Property  Accounts. 

The  comptroller's  office  is  to  be  congratulated  on  having  a  book 


49 

record  of  all  property  owned  by  the  city.  Real  estate  is  carried 
at  cost.  At  the  end  of  each  year  an  inventory  of  personal  prop- 
erty is  made  by  each  department.  These  aim  to  show  the  actual 
value  of  the  property  at  the  time  of  inventory.  During  the  year 
as  purchases  and  sales  are  made  the  comptroller  adds  to  or  de- 
ducts from  the  inventories  set  up  at  the  beginning  of  the  year. 
The  beginning  thus  made  should  now  be  followed  up  and  these 
records  used  as  a  basis  for  administration.  To  properly  admin- 
ister thereon  the  present  form  should  be  amplified.  We  have 
taken  this  matter  up  with  the  comptroller's  office  verbally. 

Police  Fines. 

The  recorder  (police  judge)  renders  daily  reports  to  the  comp- 
troller of  fines  imposed.  These  reports  show  number  of  case, 
name  of  individual,  kind  of  case,  and  amount  of  each  fine.  The 
chief  of  police  (through  a  policeman  detailed  in  court)  collects 
the  fines,  turns  the  cash  over  daily  to  the  tax  collector  and  makes 
a  similar  report  of  the  collections.  The  reports  of  fines  imposed 
when  turned  into  the  comptroller's  office  are  there  posted  in  the 
"police  docket"  which  thus  becomes  an  accrual  register.  As 
reports  of  fines  collected  are  received  each  item  is  also  posted  to 
the  "docket"  thus  liquidating  the  accrual.  This  "docket,"  in- 
stalled on  the  recommendation  of  an  audit  company  some  years 
ago,  involves  much  unnecessary  work.  If  the  recorder's  report 
contained  columns  to  which  collections  might  be  posted,  and  were 
made  in  loose-leaf  form,  they  might  be  inserted  in  binders  in  the 
comptroller's  office  and  operated  in  exactly  the  same  way  that 
the  docket  is  now  operated,  but  eliminate  the  large  amount  of 
clerical  work  now  involved  in  copying  all  of  the  detailed  items 
to  the  docket. 

Liability  Accounting. 

Since  postings  to  budget  and  bond  accounts  are  made  from 
requisitions  and  liquified  by  postings  from  warrants,  those  ac- 
counts might  readily  be  made  to  reflect  unencumbered  as  well  as 
unexpended  balances.  At  the  present  time  they  show  only  the 
unexpended  balance,  although  they  do  show  some  of  the  addi- 
tional encumbrances.  The  posting  of  open  market  orders  at  the 
time  of  issuance  should  be  continued  to  its  logical  conclusion, 
and  also  an  estimated  amount  of  contracts  outstanding  should  be 
set  up  as  a  liability.  At  the  present  time,  no  reserve  whatever 
is  made  against  appropriations  at  the  time  contracts  are  signed. 
Entries  are  made  only  from  requisitions.  Even  on  contracts 
which  contain  no  approximate  total,  but  are  on  a  unit  basis,  it 
is  practicable  to  set  up  an  estimated  reserve,  and  subsequently 
adjust  the  reserve  when  it  becomes  apparent  that  it  is  too  large 
or  too  small.  With  but  slight  amplification  the  expenditure  ac- 
counts might  be  put  on  a  complete  liability  basis.   This  should 


50 

be  done  because  it  is  the  only  system  by  which  the  real  financial 
condition  of  the  city  may  be  currently  ascertained. 

At  each  council  meeting  the  comptroller  is  required  to  report 
all  warrants  drawn  since  the  last  meeting  according  to  (1)  de- 
partment, (2)  warrant  number,  (3)  name  of  payee,  (4)  amount. 
This  involves  considerable  clerical  work  in  the  comptroller's  office, 
must  also  be  copied  in  full  in  the  council  minutes  by  the  city 
clerk  and  practically  is  of  no  value. 

The  contract  ledger  contains  only  memorandum  accounts,  there 
being  only  debit  entries.  These  consist  of  the  number  and 
amounts  of  vouchers  drawn  in  payment  of  contractors'  estimates. 
The  book  if  amplified  might  be  made  of  much  real  value. 

Unclaimed  Salaries  and  Wages. 

An  "unclaimed  salaries  and  wages"  account  should  be  operated 
in  the  comptroller's  office  so  that  special  authority  will  not  need 
to  be  obtained  from  the  council,  as  at  present,  every  time  some 
laborer  returns  for  a  day's  pay  which  he  has  neglected  to  obtain 
on  payday. 

Annual  Reports. 

The  comptroller's  annual  reports  while  containing  much  useful 
information  also  contain  a  lot  of  matter  which  might  better  be 
omitted. 

BUDGET  METHODS. 

Need  for  Publicity. 

The  making  of  the  annual  budget  is  the  most  important  gov- 
ernmental event  of  the  year  to  the  citizens  of  Atlanta.  It  is 
public  business  and  should  be  done  publicly  and  not  secretively 
as  heretofore. 

Newly  elected  officials  take  office  the  first  Monday  in  January, 
and  prepare  their  departmental  estimates  for  the  ensuing  year 
as  soon  thereafter  as  possible.  From  these  departmental  esti- 
mates the  comptroller  then  prepares  a  tentative  budget  for  the 
finance  committee.  In  the  preparation  of  this  budget  the  comp- 
troller, confers  with  department  heads  and  adjusts  the  amounts 
originally  requested  by  them  so  as  to  keep  within  the  estimated 
revenue.  The  finance  committee  is  furnished  typewritten  copies 
of  the  comptroller's  budget  and  also  confers  with  department 
heads  relative  thereto.  The  public,  however,  is  not  allowed  to 
learn  either  the  amounts  requested  by  departments  or  recom- 
mended by  the  comptroller  nor  are  the  newspapers.  After  the 
finance  committee  has  agreed  on  a  budget,  it  is  reported  to  coun- 
cil at  the  next  meeting  but  not  printed,  each  council  member 
being  supplied  with  a  typewritten  copy.  Although  the  budget 
is  readjusted  in  June  and  again  in  October  the  citizens'  chances 
of  securing  budget  changes  at  such  late  dates  are  comparatively 


51 

poor.  Not  only  should  the  departmental  and  comptroller's  esti- 
mates be  printed  and  distributed  to  the  press,  civic  organizations 
and  the  public  but  the  tentative  budget  recommended  by  the 
finance  committee  should  also  be  published.  Moreover,  definite 
dates  when  the  public  will  have  an  opportunity  of  being  heard 
should  be  set  aside  adequately  in  advance  of  passing  the  budget. 
Such  dates  should  be  widely  advertised. 

Standard  Form  of  Budget. 

It  would  facilitate  accounting,  auditing  and  reporting  if  the 
account  titles  of  the  several  appropriations  were  standardized 
and  codified  as  has  been  done  with  the  budget  of  several  of  the 
larger  cities. 

The  purposes  for  which  appropriations  are  made  would  also 
be  more  readily  understood  by  the  public  if  account  titles  were 
arranged  for  each  department  in  groups  according  to  functions 
and  activities  of  the  particular  department. 

Fully  as  important  as  the  segregation  of  appropriations  into 
standard  accounts  is  the  phrasing  of  the  text  of  appropriation 
bills.  The  accounts  having  been  selected,  grouped  and  codified 
for  administration  along  certain  definite  lines,  the  text  should 
clearly  set  forth  the  instructions  necessary  to  secure  such  admin- 
istration. For  example,  a  paragraph  similar  to  the  following, 
taken  from  the  Chicago  budget,  should  be  inserted  in  the  bill: 

"That  the  comptroller  and  the  head  of  the  other  departments, 
bureaus  and  offices  of  the  city  government  shall  administer 
the  amounts  appropriated  in  this  bill  by  accounts  as  speci- 
fied by  code  numbers,  and  they  are  hereby  prohibited  from 
incurring  any  liabilities  against  any  account  in  excess  of 
the  amount  herein  authorized  for  such  account  and  from 
changing  any  salary  or  wage  item  herein." 

There  are  no  restrictions  in  the  Atlanta  budget  relative  to  in- 
curring liabilities  in  excess  of  appropriations,  the  reversion  of 
unexpended  salary  balances  to  the  general  fund,  etc.,  in  fact,  not 
only  the  printed  budget  but  the  budget  as  it  appears  in  the  offi- 
cial minutes  in  the  city  clerk's  office  contains  no  resolution  or 
text  matter  whatever.  There  is  nothing  in  the  council  minutes 
to  show  official  action  except  that  it  is  listed  on  a  page  headed 
"Read  and  Adopted."  The  aldermanic  minutes  of  October  10, 
1912,  contain  the  October  revision  of  the  budget  but  nothing 
whatever  to  show  official  action  with  respect  thereto. 

PASSING  ORDINANCES. 

The  charter  (sec.  98)  requires  that  all  ordinances  before  adop- 
tion shall  be  read  twice  at  two  different  meetings,  except  that 
by  a  two-third's  vote  of  the  members  present  an  ordinance  may 


62 

be  read  twice  at  the  same  meeting  and  adopted.  We  were  In- 
formed that  it  is  customary  to  put  through  ordinances  on  their 
second  reading  at  the  same  meeting  at  which  they  are  intro- 
duced. This  is  a  dangerous  poHcy  as  it  does  not  give  the  pubhc 
adequate  notice  of  proposed  legislation.  Except  in  rare  cases  of 
emergency,  measures  should  always  lie  over  until  the  next  meet- 
ing before  being  adopted. 

At  present  the  public  must  rely  on  the  press  of  the  city  to 
keep  informed  relative  to  city  legislation.  Atlanta  is  large 
enough  and  the  measures  put  through  councils  are  important 
enough  to  justify  printing  the  proceedings  in  pamphlet  form  im- 
mediately after  each  meeting  and  make  them  currently  available 
to  all  who  are  interested  therein. 


PURCHASING  SUPPLIES  AND  MATERIALS. 

Centralization  of  Purchasing  Power. 

The  city  departments  of  Atlanta  unitedly  have  a  large  buying 
power.  If  it  were  centralized  the  city  might  deal  direct  with 
manufacturers  and  secure  wholesale  prices.  Manufacturers  are 
not  generally  attracted  by  small  orders  such  as  must  result  when 
departments  buy  separately  and  such  orders  are  therefore  placed 
with  middlemen  with  the  result  that  middlemen's  profits  are 
paid.  Even  when  small  orders  are  placed  with  manufacturers 
the  cost  is  nearly  always  higher  than  on  large  orders.  Moreover, 
centralized  purchasing  makes  it  possible  to  maintain  a  better 
equipped  purchasing  plant,  which  is  also  conducive  to  obtaining 
low  costs. 

The  present  purchasing  procedure  for  the  city  contemplates 
that  departmental  officials  will  indicate  on  requisitions  the  kind 
and  quantity  of  supplies  and  materials  desired  and  forward  the 
requisitions  to  the  comptroller  who  will  obtain  bids  thereon,  fill 
in  the  name  of  the  dealer  from  whom  purchase  is  to  be  made  and 
transmit  the  requisition  to  him  as  an  order.  A  resolution  was 
adopted  by  council  January  15,  1912,  which  insisted  on  the  en- 
forcement of  the  above  procedure,  it  having  been  previously 
adopted  as  an  ordinance  (Sec.  889,  Code  of  1910).  The  comp- 
troller is  therefore  placed  in  a  position  not  only  to  prevent  over- 
expenditure  of  appropriations  but  is  also  made  the  city  pur- 
chasing agent. 

Notwithstanding  however  the  resolution  and  ordinance  above 
cited,  most  departments  continue  to  make  many  purchases  direct 
and  do  not  inform  the  comptroller  thereof  until  the  goods  have 
been  received  and  perhaps  used.  In  such  cases  the  comptroller 
is  unable  to  set  up  a  reesrve  on  his  books  to  provide  for  the  lia- 
bility incurred. 

While  a  considerable  saving  has  undoubtedly  been  effected  by 
concentrating  the  purchasing  in  the  comptroller's  office  and  that 


53 

official  deserves  credit  for  having  taken  the  initiative  in  the  mat- 
ter, it  is  contrary  to  good  business  organization  because  both 
the  expenditure  of  money  and  the  audit  thereof  is  thus  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  same  official.  It  is  therefore  suggested  that 
while  the  centralization  of  the  purchasing  power  should  be  fur- 
ther developed,  it  should  be  placed  in  charge  of  an  official  ap- 
pointed by  the  mayor,  and  independent  of  all  the  city  depart- 
ments. Such  official  should  be  selected  solely  on  merit  and  should 
have  had  previous  experience  as  a  purchasing  agent.  He  should 
devote  all  of  his  time  to  the  work,  and  maintain  complete  ffies 
of  current  prices,  trade  catalogues,  adequate  telephone  service, 
etc.  He  should  also  be  required  to  keep  records  showing  the 
names  of  all  bidders  on  both  formal  and  informal  contracts,  and 
the  amounts  of  each  bid.  At  the  present  time  a  large  number 
of  purchases  are  made  over  the  telephone  and  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  instances  in  the  comptroller's  office,  no  records  exist 
showing  the  number,  name  or  amount  of  bids  which  have  been 
received  on  telephone  purchases.  It  is  therefore  impossible  to 
determine  whether  there  has  been  sufficient  endeavor  to  obtain 
competition  and  lowest  prices,  and  whether  the  purchases  have 
actually  been  made  from  the  lowest  bidder. 

One  of  the  two  rear  rooms  of  the  comptroller's  office  might 
well  be  set  aside  for  the  use  of  a  purchasing  agent.  Before  pur- 
chase orders  are  issued  the  comptroller  or  his  representative 
should  certify  thereon  that  there  is  a  sufficient  balance  of  a  duly 
authorized  appropriation  remaining  unencumbered  to  pay  the 
claim ;  also  whether  there  is  an  existing  contract  for  the  purchase 
of  the  commodity  requisitioned.  For  this  purpose  the  comp- 
troller's clerk  charged  with  keeping  the  appropriation,  contract 
and  bond  fund  ledgers  might  be  given  a  desk  in  the  room  as- 
signed to  the  purchasing  agent  or  in  the  room  adjoining  thereto 
so  that  he  might  refer  to  his  books  and  initial  the  requisitions 
without  causing  any  delay. 

If  at  any  time  under  the  above  plan  a  department  official  did 
find  it  absolutely  necessary  to  make  a  purchase  direct  he  should 
first  call  the  purchasing  agent  on  the  phone  and  ask  that  a  requi- 
sition number  be  assigned  him.  He  might  then  forward  the 
original  requisition  to  a  dealer  and  the  carbon  duplicate  thereof 
to  the  comptroller  thus  enabling  the  latter  to  set  up  a  reserve 
for  the  amount  of  the  order. 

Standardization  of  Purchases. 

Most  commercial  organizations  and  some  cities  are  awake  to 
the  immense  savings  which  may  be  realized  by  standardizing 
their  equipment,  materials,  and  supplies  so  that  only  the  kind, 
grade,  style,  etc.,  best  adapted  for  each  particular  need  will  be 
purchased.  Practically  nothing  of  this  character  has  been  done 
by  the  city  of  Atlanta  however  until  this  year  when  the  comp- 


54 

troller's  office  made  a  beginning  by  standardizing  some  of  the 
city  stationery  and  also  recently  took  up  one  or  two  other  sub- 
jects. Coal  is  bought  on  the  British  Thermal  Unit  and  ash  test 
basis  but  inasmuch  as  practically  no  deductions  from  payments 
have  been  made  on  account  of  the  coal  delivered  not  containing 
the  required  number  of  heat  units,  it  is  questionable  whether  the 
number  of  heat  units  and  percentage  of  ash  specified  are  ade- 
quate. This  is  a  subject  on  which  expert  engineering  advic© 
might  be  secured  with  advantage. 

All  supplies  and  materials  which  are  susceptible  of  being  ac- 
curately described  should  be  purchased  only  on  specifications, 
and  adequate  chemical  or  physical  tests  should  be  made  of  deliv- 
eries to  determine  whether  they  conform  to  such  specifications. 
At  the  present  time  a  large  quantity  of  supplies  and  materials 
are  purchased  on  the  sample  basis.  The  original  sample  may  be 
tested  and  subsequent  deliveries  are  supposed  to  be  equal  to  sam- 
ple but  no  adequate  tests  are  made  to  determine  such  fact. 

In  connection  with  the  standardization  of  supplies  and  mate- 
rials, it  is  very  important  that  the  city  should  be  equipped  with 
an  adequate  testing  laboratory.  Such  tests  as  have  heretofore 
been  made,  have  been  made  by  a  local  firm  of  engineering  chem- 
ists and  the  number  thereof  has  been  wholly  insufficient.  To 
test  all  purchases,  including  paving  material,  it  would  be  cheaper 
for  the  city  to  operate  its  own  testing  laboratory. 

Standardization  of  objects  of  purchase  and  specialization  might 
perhaps  be  best  accomplished  by  a  small  committee  composed  of 
the  comptroller,  purchasing  agent  and  director  of  the  testing 
laboratory  or  their  representatives.  The  committee  would  of 
course  advise  with  all  department  heads  and  with  manufacturers 
and  dealers  and  would  consider  original  costs  of  articles  as  well 
as  relative  efficiency  thereof. 
Purchasing  in  Quantities. 

To  purchase  efficiently  and  economically  the  purchasing  power 
of  the  city  should  not  only  be  centralized  and  the  objects  of  ex- 
penditure standardized  but  the  needs  of  all  departments  should 
as  far  as  possible  be  anticipated  at  least  a  year  in  advance  and 
contracts  let  for  quantities  adequate  to  last  the  entire  period. 
Sometimes  of  course  a  contract  may  be  based  on  unit  costs  and 
equally  low  prices  may  be  obtained  without  guaranteeing  that 
the  city  will  purchase  any  definite  quantity.  Exceptions  to  pur- 
chasing at  the  beginning  of  the  year  would  of  course  be  made 
in  the  case  of  fuel,  forage,  milk  and  other  supplies  which  are  of 
a  seasonal  natjure  and  for  which  lower  prices  may  be  obtained 
by  making  contracts  during  the  year. 

The  advantage  which  would  accrue  from  contracting  for  an 
entire  year's  supply  for  all  departments  at  one  time  is  well  illus- 
trated in  the  case  of  stationery,  already  referred  to  under  stand- 
ardization of  purchases.  The  comptroller's  office  recently  ascer- 
tained from  the  several  departments  how  much  stationery  they 


55 

would  need  next  year.  Bids  were  obtained  on  the  total  quantity, 
and  a  single  contract  was  let.  Letter  heads  were  purchased  at 
$2.95  per  M,  as  compared  with  a  former  average  cost  of  $3.60, 
and  envelopes  at  $2.20  per  M,  as  compared  with  a  former  average 
cost  of  $3.25. 

Centralized  purchasing  for  an  entire  year  does  not  necessarily 
mean  that  all  supplies  and  materials  must  be  kept  in  a  central 
storehouse.  Contracts  may  be  arranged  for  periodical  deliver- 
ies as  needed  at  any  number  of  delivery  points,  either  to  go  into 
stores  there  or  be  used  at  once.  There  are  certain  kinds  of  sup- 
plies, however,  which  must  be  kept  on  hand  anyway  and  if  kept 
in  a  central  storehouse  a  smaller  inventory  is  required  and  hence 
a  smaller  investment,  than  would  be  necessary  if  kept  in  the 
storerooms  of  several  departments.  Space  for  such  a  central 
storeroom  might  probably  be  found  in  the  city  hall  basement 
or  attic  or  in  other  buildings  ownea  or  leased  by  the  city. 

PAYMENT  OF  CLAIMS. 

Many  Signatures  Delay  Payment. 

Section  886  of  the  1910  code  requires  that  there  be  three  sig- 
natures on  each  voucher,  viz.,  the  head  of  the  department,  chair- 
man of  the  council  committee  supervising  such  department,  and 
the  comptroller.  The  vouchers  now  used  by  several  of  the  de- 
partments require  four  signatures,  and  some  five;  for  example, 
the  vouchers  ot  the  water  board  must  be  signed  by  (1)  general 
manager,  (2>  secretary  of  water  board,  (3)  president  of  water 
board,  (4)  chairman  of  council  committee  on  water,  and  (5) 
comptroller.  The  time  required  to  obtain  so  many  signatures 
tends  to  delay  the  transmittal  of  the  vouchers  to  the  comp- 
troller's office,  and  since  claims  can  not  be  paid  until  they  have 
been  received  and  audited  by  the  comptroller,  and  since  cash  dis- 
count can  not  be  obtained  unless  claims  are  paid  promptly,  it  is 
of  considerable  importance  that  the  departmental  procedure  be 
so  adjusted  that  vouchers  be  transmitted  promptly.  The  prompt 
payment  of  claims  is  of  much  advantage  in  maintaining  the 
city's  credit  on  a  good  basis,  and  thus  obtaining  favor  with  a 
large  number  of  dealers  to  whom  city  business  would  not  other- 
wise appeal. 

Certificates  Necessary  to  Fix  Responsibility. 

More  than  three  signatures  on  a  voucher  are  of  doubtful  value 
because  they  are  usually  made  only  because  other  officials  have 
already  signed  and  it  is  therefore  assumed  that  the  claim  is  in 
all  respects  correct.  Each  signature  should  certify  to  facts  of 
which  the  person  certifying  has  definite  knowledge.    The  vouch- 


56 

ers  now  used  in  the  city  departments  of  Atlanta  simply  read 

"Approved  for  $ "    There  is  no  evidence  that  the  persons 

signing  are  familiar  with  any  of  the  facts  on  which  the  claims 
are  based.  It  is  suggested  that  vouchers  be  signed  in  the  depart- 
ment by  only  two  persons: 

First,  by  a  person  who  is  cognizant  of  (a)  whether  the  articles 
had  been  received,  services  rendered,  or  amounts  expended  for 
the  city,  (b)  that  the  claim  is  correct  as  to  price  and  amount, 
(c)  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  proper  transaction  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  department,  (d)  that  it  was  incurred  solely  for  the 
benefit  of  the  city,  (e)  that  all  calculations  and  extensions  have 
been  verified,  (f )  that  the  amount  of  the  claim  does  not  exceed 
the  unencumbered  balances  of  amounts  duly  appropriated  against 
which  the  same  is  chargeable,  and  (g)  that  the  amount  of  the 
claim  contained  in  the  voucher  has  not  been  included  in  or  made 
a  part  of  any  voucher  or  claim  previously  certified  by  the  depart- 
ment for  payment. 

Second,  by  the  head  of  the  department  who  should  certify 
that  (a)  the  certificates  attached  to  the  vouchers  and  support- 
ing time  sheets,  invoices,  etc.,  are  made  by  persons  designated 
by  him  to  make  such  certificates,  and  whose  signatures  thereto 
are  known  by  him  to  be  genuine,  (b)  that  to  the  best  of  his  infor- 
mation and  belief  the  claim  is  correct,  (c)  that  the  provisions 
of  the  charter  and  of  the  ordinances  and  resolutions  of  the  council 
applicable  thereto  have  been  complied  with,  and  (d)  that  the 
expenditure  was  necessary  and  was  duly  authorized  and  appro- 
priated. 

After  the  vouchers  have  been  transmitted  to  the  comptroller's 
office  they  should  be  signed  by  an  auditor,  who  should  certify  to 
the  comptroller  that  (a)  he  has  examined,  audited,  revised  and 

settled  the  claim  for  the  sum  of  $ (b)  that  the  expenditure 

was  lawfully  incurred,  and  that  the  charge  therefor  is  reason- 
able and  just,  (c)  that  the  warrant  is  correctly  drawn  and  pay- 
ment may  properly  be  made  from  the  fund  shown  on  the  voucher. 

The  signature  of  more  than  two  persons  in  any  department, 
and  also  the  signature  of  the  chairman  of  the  council  committee 
should  be  dispensed  with.  The  certificates  above  described  are 
of  adequate  insurance  to  the  city  of  the  fact  that  the  claims 
should  "be  paid  and  subsequent  signatures  can  afford  no  addi- 
tional protection  to  the  city.  In  the  case  of  chairmen  of  council 
committees,  it  takes  considerable  time  to  obtain  their  signatures, 
inasmuch  as  they  are  men  engaged  in  various  occupations  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  city. 

Too  Much  "Red  Tape"  in  Paying  Claims. 

The  comptroller's  certificate  is  unnecessary  on  vouchers.  It 
should,  however,  be  attached  to  the  warrants.  At  the  present 
time   dealers   doing  business  with  the  city  are  caused  much 


67 

annoyance  by  being  compelled  to  go  to  the  City  Hall  and  sign 
receipts  for  claims  due  them,  and  then  go  again  for  their  warrant 
when  it  has  been  prepared.  This  inconvenience  to  dealers  tends 
to  restrict  competition,  and  undoubtedly  causes  the  city  business 
to  be  undesirable  to  a  number  of  reputable  firms  to  whom  it 
might  otherwise  appeal.  Moreover,  the  procedure  is  entirely 
unnecessary.  It  is  suggested  that  after  the  vouchers  have  been 
certified,  as  above  described,  that  the  warrants  be  prepared  for 
payment  and  the  mayor's  signature  obtained  thereto.  If  the 
claimants  were  then  notified  that  the  city  was  ready  to  make 
payment,  the  comptroller  might  countersign  each  warrant  as 
claimants  present  themselves  at  the  city  hall.  In  this  connec- 
tion, it  is  further  suggested  that  the  present  title  of  "Chief 
Clerk"  in  the  comptroller's  office  should  be  changed  to  deputy 
comptroller,  and  that  he  be  authorized  to  countersign  warrants 
in  the  comptroller's  absence.  If  a  combined  form  of  voucher 
warrant  were  adopted,  both  the  documents  might  be  prepared 
in  the  departments  by  one  writing.  We  have  already  conferred 
with  the  comptroller  and  his  representatives  on  this  subject,  and 
a  form  of  voucher-warrant  has  been  prepared  by  him  which  is 
recommended  for  adoption. 

BANK  DEPOSITS  AND  TREASURER'S  BALANCES. 

Bank  Deposits. 

As  required  by  the  charter,  the  city's  cash  is  kept  partly  in 
the  city  treasury  and  partly  in  four  local  banks.  Bids  are  invited 
from  all  local  banks  to  determine  which  will  pay  the  highest  rate 
of  interest.  The  fact  that  it  is  customary  for  them  all  to  bid 
the  same  might  indicate  that  an  understanding  exists  between 
them  with  respect  thereto.  They  pay  the  city  only  two  per  cent, 
interest.  It  seems  probable  that  if  the  city  would  place  definite 
amounts  on  time  deposit  for  a  definite  number  of  months,  that 
a  higher  rate  of  interest  might  be  secured.  That  it  would  be 
possible  to  so  plan  the  financing  of  the  city  so  that  amounts 
might  be  placed  on  time  deposit,  is  evidenced  by  a  test  made  by 
us.  The  following  tabulation  shows  the  lowest  monthly  balance 
in  the  four  banks  from  October  1st,  1911,  to  June  1st,  1912 : 

October  1st,  1911 $410,000 

November  1st,  1911  950,000 

December  1st,  1911 730,000 

January  1st,  1912 680,000 

February  1st,  1912 630,000 

March  1st,  1912 460,000 

April  1st,  1912 160,000 

May  1st,  1912 460,000 

June  1st,  1912 220,000 


68 

The  balance  on  deposit  in  bank  October  1st,  1911,  was  $410,000. 
This  was  the  minimum  amount  on  deposit  at  any  one  time  during 
the  next  five  months,  and  even  at  the  end  of  six  months  the  bal- 
ance was  $160,000.  Moreover,  this  latter  amQunt  immediately- 
increased  in  the  seventh  month  to  $460,000. 

It  is  suggested  that  these  banks  should  burnish  surety  com- 
pany bonds,  instead  of  personal  bonds,  as  at  present.  We  note 
that  the  personal  sureties  of  each  bank  were  in  each  case  the 
officers  or  directors  of  that  bank.  It  is  possible  to  conceive  how 
personal  bonds  given  in  such  cases  might  have  a  limited  value, 
particularly  when  the  banks  were  all  National  banks,  as  are 
those  in  which  the  cash  of  the  city  of  Atlanta  is  deposited,  be- 
cause the  liability  of  stockholders  in  National  banks  is  doubled 

Business  prudence  would  also  suggest  that  the  amount  of  the 
city's  money  which  may  be  placed  on  deposit  in  any  one  bank 
be  limited  to  a  percentage  of  the  capital  and  surplus  of  that  bank, 
and  not  be  unlimited  as  at  present. 

Treasurer's  Balances. 

The  city  treasurer  for  whom  a  salary  of  $1,000  is  provided 
has  on  hand  at  all  times  a  considerable  amount  of  money  for 
which  no  interest  whatever  is  paid  the  city.  It  is  probable  that 
the  city  might  arrange  to  secure  two  per  cent,  on  the  daily  bal- 
ances of  this  account.  That  the  amount  of  interest,  which  is 
thus  lost  under  the  present  plan,  would  be  worth  saving,  is  indi- 
cated by  the  following  daily  balances  which  we  drew  off  from 
the  city  treasury  ledger  account  in  the  comptroller's  office  for 
two  typical  months,  i.  e.,  October,  1911,  which  the  comptroller 
designated  as  a  "heavy"  month,  and  August,  1911,  which  he 
designated  as  a  "light"  month: 

October,  1911.  August,  1911. 

$21,000  $11,000 

32,000  84,000 

19,000  72,000 

54,000  65,000 

21,000  67,000 

49,000  68,000 

48,000  68,a00 

76,000  66,000 

37,000  67,000 

61,000  68,000 

14,000  68,000 

78,000  68,000 

30,000  64,000 

98,000  58,000 

51,000  43,000 

72,000  47,000 

32,000  44,000 


59 

43,000  46,000 

49,000  44,000 

55,000  153.000 

50,000  149.000 

50,000  149,000 

46,000  150.000 

33,000  150,000 

34,000  145,000 

132.000 
113.000 
BONDED  DEBT. 

No  Provision  for  Payment. 

On  December  31,  1912  (comptroller's  report)  the  city  had  a 
bonded  debt  of  $655,000  for  which  no  provision  had  been  made 
for  payment.  These  bonds  were  issued  in  1877.  Their  maturity 
and  rate  of  interest  is  as  follows: 


Maturity 

Rate 

Amount 

1915 

5     % 

$  52,000 

1916 

4/2% 

116,000 

1920 

4     % 

124,000 

1922 

4>4>4 

289,000 

1927 

4     % 

74,000 

$655,000 

Some  bonds  similar  to  the  above  mentioned  have  been  refunded 
and  it  is  planned  to  refund  the  $655,000  as  it  becomes  due.  To 
thus  throw  the  entire  burden  of  payment  onto  future  taxpayers 
is  no  more  equitable  than  for  those  who  issued  the  bonds  and 
used  the  proceeds  to  neglect  all  amortization  and  shift  the  bur- 
den of  payment  onto  present  taxpayers.  To  neglect  next  year 
and  each  succeeding  year  to  set  aside  a  reserve  to  pay  these 
bonds  when  they  come  due  is  not  consonant  with  sound  financing. 

As  a  general  principle  bonds  should  be  issued  only  for  capital 
assets  and  the  life  of  the  bonds  should  be  as  nearly  co-ordinate 
as  possible  with  the  probable  life  of  the  asset.  If  the  present 
plan  is  continued  the  next  generation  of  taxpayers  will  be  com- 
pelled to  retire  a  debt  (refunding  bonds)  without  enjoying  the 
benefits  created  by  the  proceeds  thereof.  While  this  may  be 
true  to  a  certain  extent  if  paid  by  the  present  generation  of  tax- 
payers, it  is  nevertheless  false  economy  for  the  city  to  deceive 
itself  by  keeping  down  the  present  tax  rate  in  such  a  manner. 

Serial  Method  Better  Than  Sinking  Fund. 

Sinking  fund  provision  is  made  for  the  remainder  of  Atlanta's 
debt.  Throughout  the  country  sinking  funds  are  becoming  obso- 
lete as  a  method  of  paying  indebtedness.  Both  cities  and  states 
each  year  are  becoming  more  committed  to  the  serial  method. 


60 

The  following  excerpt  is  quoted  from  a  report  (April  15, 1912) ,  of 
a  special  investigation  made  by  the  Massachusetts  Bureau  of 
Statistics,  of  the  indebtedness  of  all  cities  and  towns  in  Massa- 
chusetts. It  is  typical  of  the  best  present  day  thought  on  the 
method  of  retiring  bonded  debt: 

"A  sinking  fund,  however  well  it  may  be  administered,  is  at 
best  a  cumbersome  means  of  accomplishing  the  desired  end, 
since  it  involves  not  only  the  obligation  to  keep  the  funds 
properly  invested,  but  complicated,  mathematical  computa- 
tions to  insure  equitable  assessments  upon  the  taxpayers 
during  the  period  of  the  loan  in  order  that  the  debt  may  be 
paid  at  maturity ;  and  the  evidence  is  abundant  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  sinking  funds  by  our  Massachusetts  cities  and 
towns,  doubtless  in  good  faith,  to  which  proper  contributions 
have  not  been  made  from  year  to  year,  with  the  result  that 
upon  the  maturity  of  the  loans  these  funds  are  found  to  be 
far  short  of  the  amount  necessary  to  pay  the  debt,  with 
extension  by  refunding  as  the  inevitable  result.  The  serial 
method  of  paying  debt,  on  the  other  hand,  not  only  obviates 
the  administrative  requirements  of  the  sinkinsr  fund  method, 
but  it  has  been  demonstrated  to  be  cheaper  than  the  latter 
and  it,  therefore,  imposes  a  lighter  burden  upon  the  taxpay- 
ers, in  the  long  run;  not  the  least  of  its  advantages  also  is 
the  fact  that  its  operation  is  so  simple  as  to  be  easily  under- 
stood by  the  ordinary  citizen." 

The  report  includes  the  following  definite  recommendation  to 
the  Massachusetts  legislature: 

"That  the  authority  to  establish  sinking  funds  be  repealed  and 
that  all  cities  and  towns  be  required  hereafter  to  provide  for 
the  payment  of  funded  debt  by  the  serial  method,  so  called.'' 


ASSESSING  AND  COLLECTING  TAXES. 

Both  real  and  personal  property  is  assessed  annually.  Real 
estate  is  not  assessed  according  to  any  mathematical  rule,  as  in 
many  cities,  but  each  lot  is  viewed  and  valued  independently  of 
adjoining  lots,  land  and  buildings  being  separately  valued.  There 
is  need  in  the  assessor's  office  of  a  complete  and  correct  tax  map 
of  the  city. 

Two  Installments  Enough. 

Taxes  are  payable  in  three  installments,  April  1-15.  June  15-30, 
September  1-October  15.  The  change  from  collection  once  a  year 
was  made  so  that  tax  money  would  be  available  for  meeting  cur- 
rent expenses  during  the  early  part  of  the  year  and  avoid  the 
necessity  of  paying  interest  on  short  term  loans.    Even  though 


61 

one  and  one-half  per  cent,  discount  is  allowed  for  payment  of  sec- 
ond and  third  installments  in  advance  and  seven  per  cent,  interest 
charged  on  delinquent  payments,  the  comptroller's  records  show 
that  only  about  one-fourth  of  the  amount  of  taxes  are  collected 
on  the  first  two  installments  combined  and  that  nearly  three- 
fourths  of  the  total  collection  does  not  come  in  until  the  third 
installment. 

In  view  of  these  facts  the  suggestion  is  made  that  if  taxes 
were  made  payable  twice  instead  of  three  times  a  year  as  much 
money  would  undoubtedly  come  into  the  city  treasury  on  the 
first  installment  as  there  does  now  on  the  first  two;  the  public 
would  suffer  less  annoyance  and  less  clerical  work  could  be  caused 
the  tax  offices. 

Should  All  be  Prebilled. 

It  seems  probable  that  a  system  of  prebilling  all  three  install- 
ments might  be  worked  out  similar  to  the  new  system  in  New 
York  and  Buffalo  (and  planned  for  Pittsburg) .  Prebilling  under 
such  a  system  would  do  away  with  all  congestion  in  the  tax  office 
caused  by  taxpayers  waiting  to  pay  their  taxes,  and  would  also 
dispense  entirely  with  the  clerical  work  now  involved  in  making 
duplicate  tax  rolls  in  the  comptroller's  office.  It  would  also  be 
much  less  susceptible  of  error  because  whereas  the  amount  of 
taxes,  discount,  etc.,  is  now  entered  three  times  on  the  tax  bill, 
again  on  the  comptroller's  duplicate  roll,  and  still  again  on  the 
post  card  notice  sent  to  taxpayers,  the  suggested  method  would 
make  all  five  copies  at  a  single  writing.  It  would  all  be  type- 
written and  hence  much  clearer  than  long  hand,  and  lastly  it 
would  be  cheaper. 

It  would  of  course  be  necessary  to  change  the  present  ordinance 
which  permits  payment  on  installment  dates  of  any  part  of  the 
amount  levied.  The  payments  should  be  in  definite  units  of  one- 
third  and  one-half.  This  change  is  desirable  anyway  as  the 
present  way  unnecessarily  complicates  the  records. 

To  facilitate  payment  of  taxes  even  under  the  present  plan 
the  cages  in  the  assessor's  and  tax  collector's  offices  should  be 
rearranged  or  a  carrier  system  installed.  This  is  contemplated 
by  the  present  officials  and  snould  be  put  into  effect  without 
delay. 

IN  GENERAL. 

Mayor  in  Name  Only. 

The  city  elects  a  mayor  to  be  the  head  of  its  government  but 
inconsistently  gives  him  but  little  power  with  which  to  adminis- 
ter the  government.  The  real  power  is  vested  in  sundry  cum- 
bersome and  unnecessary  boards,  an  unwieldly  dual  legislative 
system  and  large  inexperienced  committees. 


62 

Atlanta  has  a  population  of  approximately  150,000  and  an 
annual  tax  budget  of  over  five  and  a  half  million  dollars.  Both 
population  and  budget  are  increasing  rapidly  and  the  securing 
of  a  simpler,  more  efficient  form  of  government  which  will  defi- 
nitely fix  responsibility  and  be  readily  amenable  to  public  de- 
mand should  have  serious  and  immediate^  consideration  from 
every  citizen. 

Consolidate  County  and  City. 

The  city  and  county  governments  of  Atlanta  should  be  consol- 
idated. Only  in  this  way  can  duplication  of  administrative  cost 
be  prevented  and  service  equitably  distributed.  For  example, 
there  are  two  sets  of  tax  officials  in  Atlanta — county  and  city, 
and  the  taxes  for  each  are  payable  at  different  places;  there 
are  both  county  gangs  and  city  gangs  engaged  in  building  the 
city's  streets,  and  the  city  has  no  idea  whether  it  is  getting  all 
the  street  work  it  is  entitled  to  from  the  county  or  not. 

Smoke  Nuisance. 

While  en  route  from  New  York  to  Atlanta  the  representative 
of  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  was  informed  by  a  couple 
of  commercial  travelers  that  "Atlanta  is  a  nice  enough  place  but 
I  don't  think  you  will  like  it  because  there  is  a  continuous  fog 
of  smoke  there  which  gets  in  your  eyes  and  lungs  and  is  disa- 
greeable generally."  It  does  not  behoove  any  city  to  be  thus  ad- 
vertised. There  has  been  enough  agitation  of  the  subject  in 
Atlanta.     What  is  needed  now  is  efficient  correction. 


Overhead  Wires. 

Many  of  Atlanta's  residence  streets  with  their  beautiful  homes 
and  lines  of  fine  trees  are  badly  disfigured  with  two  or  three  sets 
of  unpainfed  wooden  poles  of  varying  heights  and  angles  and  a 
network  of  overhead  wires  which  are  a  menace  to  life  and  prop- 
erty. While  it  would  of  course  be  expensive  to  substitute  under- 
ground conduits  for  transmitting  the  electric  current  required  by 
street  railway,  electric  light  and  telephone  service,  nevertheless, 
if  the  city's  policy  were  changed  now,  the  cost  would  be  only  a 
fraction  of  what  it  will  be  when  the  city  is  ten  times  larger, 
as  there  is  indication  to  believe  it  will  be.  Underground  street 
railway  conduits,  moreover,  have  the  advantage  of  preventing 
destruction  of  a  city's  water  pipes  by  electrolysis,  whereas  the 
single  overhead  system  in  use  is  a  direct  cause  of  it. 

Combination  poles  should  at  least  be  used  for  street  lights  and 
trolley  wires  and  thus  eliminate  one  set  of  poles.    Light  placed 


68 

on  the  poles  or  suspended  by  arms  would  also  eliminate  many 

wires. 

Grade  Crossings. 

The  circuitous  route  of  railroads  entering  the  city  cause  them 
to  cross  streets  a  great  many  times.  Many  of  the  crossings  are 
"grade"  crossings  and  very  dangerous  to  life.  Through  promi- 
nent portions  of  the  city  the  railroad  is  not  even  fenced  off  from 
the  street.  Elevated  or  subsurface  structures  are  the  only  proper 
solution  to  this  condition. 

Automobile  Blockade. 

The  narrow  downtown  streets  having  double  car  tracks  down 
the  center  afford  scant  room  for  traffic  and  when  banked  with 
automobiles  on  both  sides  progress  is  often  difficult.  Definite 
regulations  ought  to  be  adopted  and  enforced  to  remedy  the  pres- 
ent condition. 

Unsightly  Strips  Along  Sidewalks. 

All  over  the  city  between  the  outer  edge  of  the  sidewalk  and 
the  curb  exist  unsightly  strips  of  bare  ground.  On  one  street 
this  area  was  turned  over  two  or  three  years  ago  to  the  park  de- 
partment and  sodded.  It  was  the  only  street  we  found  so  sodded 
and  even  there  lack  of  care  had  almost  destroyed  the  grass.  A 
united  and  systematic  effort  on  the  part  of  the  civic  organization 
and  the  school  children  of  Atlanta  could  undoubtedly  change 
these  barren  places  into  beauty  strips. 

Street  Signs. 

Nothing  helps  to  make  a  visitor  feel  comfortable  in  a  strange 
city  more  than  a  street  sign  on  every  corner  to  aid  him  in  arriv- 
ing at  his  destination.  Moreover  it  is  frequently  a  time-saver 
to  permanent  residents.  In  many  parts  of  Atlanta  there  are  in- 
sufficient street  signs. 

Street  Obstruction. 

Building  contractors  have  been  allowed  to  obstruct  too  much 
of  the  streets.  One  instance  was  noted  (Peach tree  and  Harris) 
where  the  contractor  fenced  off  an  entire  half  of  the  street.  If 
the  sidewalk  alongside  a  building  in  process  of  erection  or  recon- 
struction is  substantially  bridged  over  it  is  unnecessary  to  ob- 
struct either  foot  or  vehicle  traffic. 

Safety  Islands. 

There  are  some  street  crossings  in  the  city  where  the  auto- 


64 

mobile  traffic  is  so  dense  that  lives  of  pedestrians  are  endangered 
when  crossing  the  street.  The  city  should  construct  safety- 
islands  six  or  eight  inches  in  height  in  the  center  of  such  places 
which  would  each  be  surmounted  by  an  ornamental  light  post. 

Repair  Shops. 

The  construction,  water,  sanitary  and  fire  departments  each 
operate  repair  shops.  The  repair  work  of  the  park  and  police 
departments  is  done  at  private  shops.  Investigation  should  be 
made  to  determine  whether  it  would  not  be  cheaper  to  establish 
a  central  repair  shop  to  which  work  would  be  sent  from  all  city 
departments.  A  similar  situation  exists  with  respect  to  horse- 
shoeing. Some  departments  shoe  their  own  horses  and  the 
horses  of  other  departments  are  shod  at  private  shops  at  regular 
prices.  An  investigation  of  this  subject  also  might  disclose  a 
means  of  shoeing  all  city  horses  with  a  single  gang  of  horse- 
shoers.  For  example,  no  good  reason  is  apparent  why  park  de- 
partment horses  should  not  be  shod  by  the  horseshoers  already 
employed  by  one  of  the  other  departments. 

Salary  Standardization. 

There  is  need  for  standardization  of  salary  rates  throughout 
all  the  city  departments  so  that  each  employe  in  the  city  service 
will  be  paid  on  the  basis  of  duties  performed — not  more  nor  less. 


30589'^ 


JO  ^^4. 


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